Reducing Repeated Imaging through Medical Technology

Healthcare has seen many innovations develop over time that have led to changes within the industry. Improvements in Medical Imaging have produced higher quality images for radiologists to interpret and provide better diagnoses for their patients. 

Previously, a patient would receive physical copies of their images that could wind up damaged, lost or even contain the wrong information. There was also the probability of one physician’s equipment not being compatible with the data format of another, causing long wait times as images were converted to the correct file type. As a result, scans and tests would often be repeated, which drives up costs. In 2010, Medicare spent roughly $10 million on medical imaging – between 10 and 20 percent was attributed to duplicated exams.

Researchers from Mathematica Policy and the University of Michigan compared the rates of repeated Chest X-rays, ultrasounds and CT scans at 37 emergency rooms connected to an HIE to the rates of 410 ERs without an HIE. They reviewed procedures conducted in California and Florida between 2007 and 2010. The parameters were set as patients undergoing multiple scans of the same areas of the body within 30 days at separate ER facilities.

Their results showed that hospitals using Diagnostic Radiology and connected to an HIE were 13 percent less likely to repeat chest X-rays, 9 percent less likely to repeat ultrasounds and 8.7 percent less likely to repeat CT scans. Using their findings, the research team estimated that by avoiding repeating these three procedures, states could save almost $3 million per year. On a country-wide level, if every hospital were a member of an HIE, more than $19 million could be saved.