Increase in Diagnostic Imaging Fueled by Self-Referring Doctors

THURSDAY, April 24 (HealthDay News) -- A growing number of privately insured patients in the United States are being referred for imaging scans, and much of that increase is due to physicians who refer patients to their own facilities or machines, a new study and commentary find.

For the study, Dr. Jean M. Mitchell, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., reviewed data collected between 2000 and 2004 by a large private insurer in California and compared that analysis to a report by the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission. Both showed increased use of imaging tests for people with private insurance.

The findings were published in the current issue of Medical Care.

source: Yahoo News