Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The impossible appears to be happening: a permanent repeal of the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula, the baffling algorithm that mandates drastic cuts every year in Medicare payments.
The U.S. House of Representatives today passed its version of legislation that would permanently fix the "doc fix," putting an end to the annual ritual of high-stakes brinksmanship as Democrats and Republicans battle to stave off drastic cuts in federal healthcare reimbursement. The legislation next goes to the Senate, and indications so far are that both parties are actually serious about putting this issue to bed once and for all.
Read more by clicking here for an article in our Imaging Leaders Community.
AGA retreats on lesion follow-up
Should incidental lesions found on CT and MRI scans be followed less aggressively? That's the suggestion made this week by the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), which issued new guidelines for working up incidental pancreatic lesions.
With more powerful CT and MRI technology, more incidental lesions are being discovered, AGA noted. But following every one of these lesions can use up precious healthcare resources, as well as result in patient morbidity.
Instead, AGA is advising that physicians forego invasive workup, surveillance, or surgery for most patients, limiting aggressive follow-up to patients with detected cysts that have more high-risk features. Get the story by clicking here, or visit our CT Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
Reducing MRI overuse
In a related story on imaging overuse, federal regulators looking for ways to reduce imaging overutilization have proposed using public reporting of procedure data as a potential tool. The idea is that publicly exposing facilities where overuse is occurring will "shame" those sites into mending their ways.
But it hasn't exactly worked that way in practice, at least not in Texas. Researchers there analyzed MRI utilization rates for an often-overused procedure -- investigation of lower back pain -- and found that they continued to go up during a four-year period in which utilization data were publicly reported.
What's the reason for the failure? The study authors speculated that the public reporting requirement wasn't targeting the right physicians. Learn more by clicking here.
In other MRI news, read about a new study that used the modality to examine how air pollutants can affect the brains of children who were exposed while in utero. California researchers say it's the largest MRI study to date on a specific class of pollutants, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Learn more by clicking here, or visit the MRI Community at mri.auntminnie.com.
