HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Maitino, A. J. Articles by Sunshine, J. H. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Maitino, A. J. Articles by Sunshine, J. H.

Nationwide Trends in Rates of Utilization of Noninvasive Diagnostic Imaging among the Medicare Population between 1993 and 1999¹

¹ From the Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Suite 3390, Gibbon Bldg, 111 S 11th St, Philadelphia, PA 19107 (A.J.M., D.C.L., L.P., V.M.R.); and American College of Radiology, Reston, Va (J.H.S.). From the 2001 RSNA scientific assembly. Received May 24, 2002; revision requested July 16; revision received August 1; accepted September 24. Address correspondence to A.J.M. (e-mail: andrea.maitino@mail.tju.edu).

PURPOSE: To determine current utilization rates and recent nationwide trends for noninvasive diagnostic imaging (NDI) among the Medicare population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Medicare Part B claims data files from 1993, 1996, and 1999 were analyzed for all procedure codes related to NDI. NDI codes were grouped into 22 imaging categories, as well as seven imaging modality groups. The data were analyzed to determine the overall nationwide utilization and relative value unit (RVU) volume and rates and changes in utilization rates and RVU rates between 1993 and 1999 for the Medicare fee-for-service population, which included approximately 33 million enrollees per year.

RESULTS: The overall utilization rate for all NDI in 1999 was 324,974 examinations per 100,000 enrollees. Conventional radiography was the most utilized imaging technology (55.5%), followed by ultrasonography (US) (20.5%), computed tomography (CT) (8.8%), mammography (6.0%), nuclear imaging (5.2%), magnetic resonance (MR) imaging (2.6%), and bone densitometry (1.5%) (percentages do not add up to 100% due to rounding). In the 6-year interval from 1993 to 1999, the rate of NDI utilization increased 3.8%. The utilization rate for conventional radiography decreased 13.7%, while that of all other modalities increased a combined total of 39.1%. During this 6-year period, RVU rates per 100,000 increased 14.6%, with RVUs for MR imaging increasing 76.6%; those for nuclear imaging, 38.7%; those for CT, 28.3%; and those for US, 24.2%.

CONCLUSION: A 3.8% increase in the rate of NDI utilization occurred during the 6-year period between 1993 and 1999. A considerably larger increase in RVU rates (14.6%) occurred during the same time period.

© RSNA, 2003

Index terms: Diagnostic radiology • Economics, medical • Radiology and radiologists, socioeconomic issues

This article has been cited by other articles:

				G. S. Gazelle, E. F. Halpern, H. S. Ryan, and A. C. Tramontano Utilization of Diagnostic Medical Imaging: Comparison of Radiologist Referral versus Same-Specialty Referral Radiology, November 1, 2007; 245(2): 517 - 522. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. P. Krestin, J. C. Miller, S. J. Golding, G. G. Frija, G. M. Glazer, H. G. Ringertz, and J. H. Thrall Reinventing Radiology in a Digital and Molecular Age: Summary of Proceedings of the Sixth Biannual Symposium of the International Society for Strategic Studies in Radiology (IS3R), August 25 27, 2005 Radiology, September 1, 2007; 244(3): 633 - 638. [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. S. Pearlman, T. Ryan, M. H. Picard, and P. S. Douglas Evolving Trends in the Use of Echocardiography: A Study of Medicare Beneficiaries J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., June 12, 2007; 49(23): 2283 - 2291. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. C. Khasgiwala, M. D. Aronson, R. B. Davis, and M. P. Rosen Imaging utilization in the era of the hospitalist. Am. J. Roentgenol., July 1, 2006; 187(1): 2 - 7. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Matin, D. W. Bates, A. Sussman, P. Ros, R. Hanson, and R. Khorasani Inpatient Radiology Utilization: Trends over the Past Decade Am. J. Roentgenol., January 1, 2006; 186(1): 7 - 11. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G. S. Gazelle, P. M. McMahon, U. Siebert, and M. T. Beinfeld Cost-effectiveness Analysis in the Assessment of Diagnostic Imaging Technologies Radiology, May 1, 2005; 235(2): 361 - 370. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. W. Litt, D. R. Ryan, D. Batista, K. N. Perry, R. S. Lewis, and J. H. Sunshine Relative Procedure Intensity with Self-Referral and Radiologist Referral: Extremity Radiography Radiology, April 1, 2005; 235(1): 142 - 147. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. J. Maitino, D. C. Levin, L. Parker, V. M. Rao, and J. H. Sunshine Practice Patterns of Radiologists and Nonradiologists in Utilization of Noninvasive Diagnostic Imaging among the Medicare Population 1993-1999 Radiology, September 1, 2003; 228(3): 795 - 801. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]