Nonradiologists’ Financial Interest Drives Up Usage, Cost
Nonradiologist physicians with a financial interest in imaging means were as much as 49 percent more likely to order imaging as those with no financial interest, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Nonradiologist physicians with a financial interest in imaging means were as much as 49 percent more likely to order imaging as those with no financial interest, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.
Mythreyi Bhargavan, PhD, research director for the American College of Radiology, and colleagues modeled a random 5-percent sample of Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries from 2004 to 2007. Using Ingenix’s Symmetry Episode Grouper software, they compared use of imaging outside of hospitals based on the referring physician’s financial interest in diagnostic imaging, studying 23 combinations of medical conditions and imaging approaches.
“Controlling for patient characteristics, illness severity, and physician specialty likewise had little effect. Physicians who had acquired a financial interest averaged a 49 percent increase in the odds of imaging relative to physicians who had not,” Bhargavan and colleagues wrote.
Physicians with financial interest in one imaging modality used more of that type of imaging as well other modalities, the researchers found - “sometimes much more,” they added. The team also found that the Deficit Reduction Act’s 2007 payment reductions had little impact on imaging use.
Burnout in Radiology: Key Risk Factors and Promising Solutions
June 9th 2025Recognizing the daunting combination of increasing imaging volume and workforce shortages, these authors discuss key risk factors contributing to burnout and moral injury in radiology, and potential solutions to help preserve well-being among radiologists.
The Reading Room: Artificial Intelligence: What RSNA 2020 Offered, and What 2021 Could Bring
December 5th 2020Nina Kottler, M.D., chief medical officer of AI at Radiology Partners, discusses, during RSNA 2020, what new developments the annual meeting provided about these technologies, sessions to access, and what to expect in the coming year.
Mammography AI Platform for Five-Year Breast Cancer Risk Prediction Gets FDA De Novo Authorization
June 2nd 2025Through AI recognition of subtle patterns in breast tissue on screening mammograms, the Clairity Breast software reportedly provides validated risk scoring for predicting one’s five-year risk of breast cancer.
