Diagnostic imaging utilization rates don’t just swing wildly across the 10 Medicare regions.
Diagnostic imaging utilization rates don’t just swing wildly across the 10 Medicare regions. According to Thomas Jefferson University researchers, the areas with the highest utilization rates also have the lowest percentage of radiologists.
TJU radiology chair Dr. Vijay Rao and colleagues looked at trends in noninvasive imaging services over a five-year period ending in 2006 using the Medicare Part B feefor- service database. In 2006, utilization rates per 1000 beneficiaries ranged from a high of 4532 in the Atlanta region to a low of 2901 in the Seattle region. Radiologists’ share of the imaging services provided ranged from 69% in the Boston region to a low of 58% in the Atlanta region. Plotting radiologist share against the overall utilization rates showed that the higher the utilization rate, the lower the percentage of radiologists providing the services. Rao released findings at the 2008 RSNA meeting.
Can Deep Learning Radiomics with bpMRI Bolster Accuracy for Prostate Cancer Prognosis?
January 22nd 2025An emerging deep learning radiomics model based on biparametric MRI (bpMRI) offered a 14 to 17 percent higher AUC range than PI-RADS scoring for predicting the aggressiveness of prostate cancer, according to new research findings.
PET Agent Gets FDA Fast Track Designation for Cardiac AL and ATTR Amyloidosis
January 22nd 2025Previously approved for the detection of neuritic beta amyloid plaque, the PET agent (18F)florbetaben is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 multicenter trial for the diagnosis of cardiac amyloidosis.
Seven Takeaways from New CT and MRI Guidelines for Ovarian Cancer Staging
January 20th 2025In an update of previous guidelines from the European Society of Urogenital Radiology published in 2010, a 21-expert panel offered consensus recommendations on the utility of CT, MRI and PET-CT in the staging and follow-up imaging for patients with ovarian cancer.