Linked Life Data

19192043

Source:http://linkedlifedata.com/resource/pubmed/id/19192043

Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2009-2-4
pubmed:abstractText
For several years, some sectors of the specialty of Radiology have complained about the practice of self-referral, where a nonradiologist physician provides and interprets an imaging procedure. It is argued that such practice leads to increased costs since a physician will overutilize technology because of financial incentives. Here we review the literature. The most extensive analysis to date is at odds with the conclusions drawn in the older literature in that it provides little, if any, evidence for overutilization. We performed our own investigation using a poll study and found no suggestion of overutilization in 33 self-referring neurologists when compared with 900 neurologists who referred imaging to radiologists. The main period of growth in demand for imaging was between 1999 and 2002. Since 2002 there has been a steep decline in the rate of growth, so that it is possible to predict roughly zero growth in MRI utilization by 2009 without any intervention. It is shown why the rise in demand for imaging studies cannot be explained by self-referral, and it is argued that the sudden expansion of demand 8 years ago was caused by simultaneous technological improvements in the 3 major imaging modalities. Finally, it is shown how self-referral may actually reduce costs by facilitating the transfer of care from the hospital and ER to the office.
pubmed:commentsCorrections
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
1552-6569
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Electronic
pubmed:volume
19
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
80-3
pubmed:dateRevised
2009-10-1
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed:year
2009
pubmed:articleTitle
Self-referral of imaging does not imply overutilization.
pubmed:affiliation
NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, New York 10016, USA. michael.hutchinson@med.nyu.edu
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article