Another Reason Cancer is Up, Your Doctor

Overexposed: Imaging tests boost U.S. radiation dose
http://www.reuters.com/article/scienceNews/idUSTRE5226IR20090304

By Julie Steenhuysen

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Americans are exposed to seven times more radiation from diagnostic scans than in 1980, a report found on Tuesday as experts said doctors are overusing the tests for profit and raising health risks for patients.

The findings, issued by National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement, add to already mounting evidence that doctors are ordering too many diagnostic tests, driving up the cost of healthcare in the United States and potentially harming patients.

While diagnostic scans give doctors valuable information and many times are necessary, doctors fear too much radiation exposure can cause cancer, especially in younger people.

"Imaging has literally become the guiding hand of medical practice," said Dr. James Thrall, chair of the American College of Radiology's Board of Chancellors, who was not part of the study.

"Unfortunately, one of the things we have seen in the imaging world is that many physicians look at imaging as the solution to their financial problems," Thrall, head of radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, said in a telephone interview.

He said imaging technology has created a financial incentive for some doctors to cash in by referring patients to get imaging tests on equipment in their own practices. This is one place the federal government and Congress can look in enacting healthcare reform, Thrall added.

A study by the Government Accountability Office in July found Medicare spending on medical imaging doubled to about $14 billion a year between 2000 and 2006, driven largely by increases in high-tech imaging.

In November, a 10-year study by a team at the University of California, San Francisco, found use of computed tomography or CT scans, an advanced type of X-ray, doubled among patients in a large managed care plan between 1997 and 2006.

Thrall said advanced diagnostic scans have revolutionized the way doctors can treat patients, eliminating the need for unnecessary exploratory surgery and improving patient care.

NON-RADIOLOGISTS

But hundreds if not thousands of non-radiologists have purchased imaging equipment for their offices, and many studies suggest this has helped to drive up medical costs.

The GAO report, for example, found that from 1998 to 2005, the number of self-referred, in-office CT, MRI and nuclear medicine scans done on Medicare patients grew at triple the rate of the same exams performed in all other settings, such as hospitals or stand-alone imaging centers.

"There is a fundamental problem when the person ordering the study has a direct financial interest in maximizing the use of a particular piece of equipment," Thrall said.

The Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance, an industry group, rejected the notion that financial incentives are driving the increased use of imaging in medicine.

"The GAO report shows that past efforts to cut medical imaging reimbursement, such as the 2005 Deficit Reduction Act, have significantly slowed imaging growth, suggesting further cuts could endanger the availability of these services," Ilyse Schuman, managing director of the group, said in a statement.

Thrall said the American College of Radiology is working with other radiology groups to craft standards about the appropriate use of imaging, which, when used properly, can improve patient care and help cut medical costs.

Views: 67

Comment

You need to be a member of 12160 Social Network to add comments!

Join 12160 Social Network

Comment by Marklar on March 4, 2009 at 3:22pm
Nice that they're working to draft some standards but the fact that they didn't do that 10-15 years ago means they've been kinda asleep at the wheel doesn't it?

"Destroying the New World Order"

TOP CONTENT THIS WEEK

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THE SITE!

mobile page

12160.info/m

12160 Administrators

 

Latest Activity

Doc Vega posted a blog post

Trump's Big Beautiful Bill Passes Amidst Democrat Lies About a Tax cut for the Rich Being Averted

AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.It’s over, folks. President Trump and congressional Republicans aimed to…See More
13 hours ago
Doc Vega posted blog posts
yesterday
cheeki kea commented on Doc Vega's blog post Government Issued Wearables? What’s Wrong With this Picture?
"I wonder what wearables must have been like before the last reset. "
Wednesday
Burbia commented on Burbia's video
Tuesday
Doc Vega commented on tjdavis's blog post National Blueprint For Biodefense
"Another scare tactic to push people into anew regime of vaccinations! Either that, or this is a…"
Tuesday
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Tuesday
Sandy posted a video

Dr. Mike Yeadon Speaks Out Against Digital ID, CBDCs, and Agenda 2030

Dr. Mike Yeadon, ex-Pfizer VP, urges public rejection of digital ID, CBDCs, and Agenda 2030, warning of future restrictions on freedom and privacy.
Tuesday
Burbia posted a video

"EVERYONE'S BEEN SHOT UP HERE": Arsonists Set Wildfire In Idaho, Open Fire On Firefighters, Police

- Shocking news just broke that multiple firefighters and officers were shot in an ambush at the Canfield Mountain Natural Area in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.Acco...
Monday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

Well Known Wilderness Photographer Disappears in the Cascades-Guess Why?

 In August of 2023 another aficionado of the great outdoors went missing. The chilling revelations…See More
Sunday
Doc Vega posted a blog post

The Draconian Show

Sometimes I talk to my invisible friend, IkeHe comes from another dimension when magnetic fields…See More
Jun 27
tjdavis posted a blog post
Jun 26
Doc Vega posted a blog post
Jun 25
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jun 24
Doc Vega posted blog posts
Jun 23
Doc Vega favorited tjdavis's photo
Jun 22
Doc Vega commented on tjdavis's photo
Thumbnail

Game Night

"Ha! Good one!"
Jun 22
Doc Vega commented on FREEDOMROX's blog post MRNA VACCINES: Question
"Listen man I know where you're at but back in October of 2023 thru December of 2023 for months…"
Jun 22
tjdavis posted a video

Architecton | Official Trailer HD | A24

SUBSCRIBE: http://bit.ly/A24subscribeWritten and directed by Victor Kossakovsky and starring Michele De Lucchi. ARCHITECTON – Coming Soon RELEASE DATE: Comin...
Jun 22
tjdavis posted photos
Jun 22
tjdavis posted a blog post
Jun 21

© 2025   Created by truth.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service

content and site copyright 12160.info 2007-2019 - all rights reserved. unless otherwise noted