Biggest increase in retroperitoneal, soft tissue, and transabdominal GU studies.
Medical claims for many limited ultrasound studies are increasing more among emergency department (ED) providers than radiologists, according to a study published in the Journal of Ultrasound in Medicine.
Researchers from Minnesota and Connecticut performed a retrospective, descriptive study to evaluate trends in medical claim submissions for limited ultrasound studies performed during ED encounters and by ED providers compared to radiologists.
The researchers obtained medical claims data from Medica Health Plans from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2015. They identified 42,576 encounters with limited US claims, of which, 32,666 were submitted by one of 9,649 ED providers or 23,017 radiologists.
The results showed a significant linear increase in the annual number of claims for retroperitoneal and nonlinear increases for thoracic, soft tissue, cardiac, transvaginal genitourinary (GU) and transabdominal GU claims among ED providers. Compared with radiologists, there was a linear increase in the annual proportion of claims submitted for retroperitoneal, transabdominal GU, and transvaginal GU studies by ED providers. There was a nonlinear decrease in the annual proportion of limited abdomen claims submitted by ED providers compared with radiologists.
The researchers concluded that medical claims for many limited ultrasound studies are increasing among ED providers, in particular for retroperitoneal, soft tissue, and transabdominal GU studies.
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.
Outpatient Reimbursement to Increase 65 Percent for EchoGo Heart Failure Platform in 2024
November 8th 2023Reimbursement for use of the artificial intelligence (AI)-powered EchoGo Heart Failure platform in hospital outpatient settings for Medicare and Medicaid patients is expected to increase from $99.81 to $284.88 in 2024.
Study Links PTSD to Higher Carotid Atherosclerosis and White Matter Hyperintensity in Midlife Women
November 6th 2023Ultrasound and MRI findings from a new study suggest that greater carotid atherosclerosis and elevated white matter hyperintensities among women with the APOEe4 genotype, a strong risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease, are associated with increased PTSD symptoms in midlife women.