A lobbying group has formed in Texas that advocates for "appropriate and safe" medical imaging in the state, including the mandatory registration and accreditation of imaging equipment.
The Coalition for Ethical Imaging calls itself a "grassroots coalition" that is composed of radiologists and other medical professionals, as well as members of the business community interested in slowing the rise of healthcare costs. The group said it will push for legislation in the upcoming Texas legislative session to ensure that MRI, CT, and PET services are "safe, appropriately prescribed and performed, and cost-effective."
As a sign of the overutilization problem in Texas, the group cites the example of Travis County -- 10 years ago Travis County and the three surrounding counties had 15 CT, MRI, and PET units in operation. Now, that number stands at more than 110.
The coalition cites physician self-referral as one of the causes behind overutilization. The group is calling for a survey by the Department of State Health Services that will compare the rates at which diagnostic imaging services are prescribed by physicians who have a financial interest in imaging equipment, compared to rates for physicians of the same specialty who have no financial interest in such equipment.
The group also supports mandatory registration and accreditation of imaging equipment in Texas, as well as more transparent billing procedures that might identify if a healthcare provider bills for but does not perform the imaging service. The coalition believes that healthcare providers should disclose the amounts charged for the technical component of imaging services and for the professional component. The patient would then also know if a trained radiologist performed the service and if there is a "mark-up" applied to the bill, the coalition said.
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