Dear Imaging Center Insider,
The terms "specificity" and "sensitivity" aren't just arcane statistical jargon. They describe what should be the key goal for all imaging exams: use of the right modality for the right disease. But radiologists know that it isn't always easy -- or even possible -- to find that sweet spot.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston have developed a Web-based exam-ordering tool that they believe helps reduce low-yield, high-cost exams and increases the yield of imaging examinations for relevant clinical findings. At the recent 2007 RSNA meeting in Chicago, they presented the results from their study conducted on the effect this Web-based program had on utility patterns for CT and MR exams.
To read what the group found, click here. As an AuntMinnie.com Imaging Center Insider, you have access to the article days before the rest of our members.
As for other Imaging Center Digital Community news, find out why almost half of U.S. doctors keep quiet about their colleagues' incompetence, and which subspecialty doctors are boosting imaging utilization rates the most. Also read about the link between computer competence and radiologist stress, as well as the reassuring news that radiologists still dominate emergency ultrasound and x-ray.
Have a comment or report to share about any aspect of diagnostic imaging practice, management, administration, regulation, or financing? Please contact me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.
