The evolving use of CT scans to assess coronary artery disease raises concerns regarding patient safety. Doctors are pressured to use this technology, which brings additional revenue for practices, but also increases radiation exposure in those getting scanned. Many recipients are not good candidates for the procedure.
The New York Times, in a series of articles, examines the utilization of imaging
scans, and the risk and cost factors that complicate the picture.
[Excerpt:] “We’re seeing layering of tests on top of each other,” said Dr. Russell Amico, a
CareCore executive. His company denies as many as 70 percent of the CT scans
requested, a much higher rate of rejection than for other kinds of tests his
company reviews.
CareCore National believes that the strength of coronary CT is its high negative
predictive value, which can be utilized to rule out suspected coronary artery
disease. If coronary CT is employed to this end, which is the design of CareCore
National's evidence-based clinical algorithms, coronary CT can be highly
effective at eliminating unnecessary and often duplicative testing such as nuclear
stress test or invasive left heart catheterization in select individuals.
More research is needed to refine the role of coronary CT
in evaluating a patient with suspected or known coronary artery disease.
Coronary CT should not be used as a screening tool and the potential for overuse
due to self-referral financial incentives is considerable.
To read the full New York Times article, please click here
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