Imaging appointments booked 6 months or longer ahead have highest no-show rate.
Modality type of imaging appointments and scheduling lead time were the most predictive factors of patient no-shows, according to a study published in The Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle performed a retrospective analysis to determine why patients did not show up for imaging appointments, specifically for radiography, CT, mammography, MRI, ultrasound, and nuclear medicine examinations.
The analysis included 2,893,626 outpatient examinations performed between 2000 to 2015, identifying no-show visits by the “reason code” entry “NOSHOW” in the radiology information system. The variables included modality, patient age, appointment time, day of week, and scheduling lead time.
The results revealed 94,096 no-shows among the almost 2.9 million patient visits. The rates of no-show visits varied from 3.36 percent in 2000 to 2.26 percent in 2015. The researchers noted the effect size for no-shows was strongest for modality and scheduling lead time. Other findings included:
• Mammography had the highest modality no-show visit rate at 6.99 percent
• Radiography had the lowest modality no-show rate at 1.25 percent
• Scheduling lead time longer than 6 months was associated with more no-show visits than scheduling within a week
• Patients 60 years and older were less likely to miss imaging appointments than patients under 40
• Mondays and Saturdays had significantly higher rates of no-show than Sundays
The researchers concluded that modality type and scheduling lead time were the most predictive factors of no-shows. They noted that this information may be used to guide new interventions such as targeted reminders and flexible scheduling.
A Victory for Radiology: New CMS Proposal Would Provide Coverage of CT Colonography in 2025
July 12th 2024In newly issued proposals addressing changes to coverage for Medicare services in 2025, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced its intent to provide coverage of computed tomography colonography (CTC) for Medicare beneficiaries in 2025.
The Reading Room Podcast: Emerging Trends in the Radiology Workforce
February 11th 2022Richard Duszak, MD, and Mina Makary, MD, discuss a number of issues, ranging from demographic trends and NPRPs to physician burnout and medical student recruitment, that figure to impact the radiology workforce now and in the near future.
ACR Collaborative Model Leads to 35 Percent Improvement with Mammography Positioning Criteria
July 1st 2024Noting significant variation with facilities for achieving passing criteria for mammography positioning, researchers found that structured interventions, ranging from weekly auditing of images taken by technologists to mechanisms for feedback from radiologists to technologists, led to significant improvements in a multicenter study.
New Study Shows Non-Radiologists Interpreting 28 Percent of Imaging for Medicare Patients
June 28th 2024While radiologists interpreted approximately 99 percent of all non-cardiac CT, MRI and nuclear medicine studies in hospital and emergency department settings for Medicare beneficiaries, new research shows significantly less radiologist review of cardiac imaging and office-based imaging.