Prospective Drawbacks Seen in Cost-Cuts for Medical Imaging Scans

A new report revealed that the timespan of the average hospital stay in the United States has risen at the same time as medical imaging use has dropped. It is not yet known if the trends are linked, but these new findings may be significant, because hospital admissions are among the fastest growing and largest healthcare costs.

More research is needed to evaluate the possible deleterious impact of government and private insurer imaging cutbacks on overall medical costs and patient safety. “Lawmakers, regulators, and medical professionals are making medical imaging policy decisions without fully understanding or examining their downstream effects, which may include an increase in hospital stays, associated costs, and other adverse events. We need to examine imaging, as it relates to a patient’s overall continuum of care, to ensure that decision makers don’t create imaging cost reduction policies which paradoxically raise overall costs, create barriers to care, and ultimately harm patients,” said Richard Duszak, MD, chief executive officer and senior research fellow of the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute (Reston, VA, USA), established by the American College of Radiology (Reston, VA, USA).

Much of the research regarding medical imaging focuses on decreasing costs and utilization of imaging. There is comparatively little study concentrated on imaging as a factor in overall patient care. For many serious indications, imaging scans have been shown to reduce the number of invasive surgeries, needless hospital admissions and length of hospital stays. Scarcer nevertheless are data on the effect of USD 6 billion in funding cutbacks for imaging diagnosis and treatment planning since 2006. The data available are not necessarily positive in terms of patient safety and access to care.

This is the first policy brief published by the Neiman Institute, which performs and backs research on medical imaging use, quality, and safety metrics, and human resources as medicine moves toward non-traditional, value-based payment and delivery. The information gathered from these efforts will serve as the basis for real life, evidence-based medical imaging policy.

“We need to take a hard look at the cost, access, and quality and safety issues related to present government and private insurer medical imaging policies and find ways to maximize the value, role and efficiency of radiology as health care systems evolve. The Neiman Institute will provide much needed information to ensure that future imaging policies benefit patients and make efficient, effective use of healthcare resources,” concluded Dr. Duszak.

Related Links:
Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute
American College of Radiology