Cardiac CTA screening pays off if price is right
A cost-effectiveness study performed by Thomas Jefferson University researchers indicates cardiac CT angiography makes financial sense in nonemergent cases if the price is appropriate.
A cost-effectiveness study performed by Thomas Jefferson University researchers indicates cardiac CT angiography makes financial sense in nonemergent cases if the price is appropriate.
Outpatient standard angiography costs almost $2800, based on 2005 Medicare reimbursement rates. The scientific literature shows that about 10% to 30% of cardiac catheterizations in nonurgent cases are normal and, thus, unnecessary. CTA becomes a screening alternative to conventional catheter angiography when priced up to $270 or $810, reflecting the estimated lower and higher normalcy rates of 10% and 30%, respectively, according to Andrea Frangos, a research associate at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
In addition to ruling out significant lesions, CTA can reveal findings that could save on extra treatment and hospitalization costs related to catheterization. Frangos presented a comparison of cardiac CTA with conventional catheter angiography in nonemergent patients at the 2006 American Roentgen Ray Society meeting in Vancouver.
New Collaboration Offers Promise of Automating Prior Authorizations in Radiology with AI
March 26th 2025In addition to a variety of tools to promote radiology workflow efficiencies, the integration of the Gravity AI tools into the PowerServer RIS platform may reduce time-consuming prior authorizations to minutes for completion.
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.
