Dear AuntMinnie Member,
As 2010 draws to a close, new research is adding to the growing body of evidence highlighting the negative impact of physician self-referral on the U.S. healthcare system.
First, research presented earlier this month at the RSNA meeting by imaging utilization expert David Levin, MD, and colleagues found that physician self-referral for SPECT myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) studies could be holding back the growth of coronary CT angiography (CCTA) -- which some believe to be a more effective imaging test for heart problems.
Levin's group found that despite mounting evidence of CCTA's superiority, the utilization rate for the procedure fell in the most recent year they studied, and the rate of the decline was faster than that of MPI.
The researchers believe that unfavorable reimbursement and other technical factors led to CCTA's decline, but they said that a major reason could also be cardiologist ownership of SPECT cameras and their unwillingness to refer patients to radiologists for CT studies. Learn more by clicking here.
Meanwhile, a Washington, DC, think tank has released results of a survey of physician practices that indicates just how widespread physician self-referral is. The group found that one in six physicians reported that they owned or leased advanced imaging equipment.
In fact, imaging ownership spiked based on physician specialty and group size. Find out which doctors were most likely to be doing their own scans by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Leaders Digital Community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
