Medical imaging utilization and spending within Medicare continues to decline, and Medicare patients are receiving fewer imaging procedures for the second year in a row, according to a new analysis from the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA).
In addition, while medical imaging utilization and spending decreased, Medicare spending on nonimaging services has dramatically increased, MITA found.
Imaging utilization per Medicare beneficiary declined by 5.1% since 2009, with utilization of advanced imaging services experiencing a decrease of 6.6%.
Meanwhile, spending on imaging services for each Medicare beneficiary has fallen 16.7% since 2006, the last year before the imaging-specific reimbursement cuts from the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA). Conversely, Medicare spending on nonimaging services has grown 21.3% since 2006, according to MITA's analysis.
