Self-referrals may be a part of the growth in diagnostic imaging, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., used a literature-based meta-analysis of the relative frequency of self-referral imaging compared with that of non-self-referral and a simulation of increased cost to Medicare Part B based on this relative frequency. Self-referral was defined as physicians or non-physicians referring their patients to their own on-site imaging services or to outside facilities in which the referring physicians have financial interest, the study said.
After finding 334 articles, researchers used five case studies to analyze, finding self-referral of imaging could be a factor for imaging costs, the study said.
Read the Journal of the American College of Radiology study on self-referral in medical imaging.
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Researchers at the Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., used a literature-based meta-analysis of the relative frequency of self-referral imaging compared with that of non-self-referral and a simulation of increased cost to Medicare Part B based on this relative frequency. Self-referral was defined as physicians or non-physicians referring their patients to their own on-site imaging services or to outside facilities in which the referring physicians have financial interest, the study said.
After finding 334 articles, researchers used five case studies to analyze, finding self-referral of imaging could be a factor for imaging costs, the study said.
Read the Journal of the American College of Radiology study on self-referral in medical imaging.
Related Articles on Medical Imaging:
Memorial Hermann Transitions to Cloud-Based Imaging Platform
Study Suggests Clinical Decision Support Can Prevent Unnecessary Imaging
California Senate Approves Bill Aimed at Reducing Radiation Overdoses in Imaging Studies