Medical imaging, identified as a potential driver of unsustainable US health care spending growth, was subject to policies to reduce prices and use in low-value settings. Meanwhile, the Affordable Care Act increased access to preventive services—many involving imaging—for employer-sponsored insurance (ESI) beneficiaries. The researchers used a large insurance claims database to examine imaging spending trends in the ESI population between 2010 and 2021—a period of considerable policy and benefits changes. Full Article
Michal Horný, Daniel Chang, Eric W Christensen, Elizabeth Y Rula, Richard Duszak, Jr. 2024. "Decomposition of Medical Imaging Spending Growth Between 2010 and 2021 in the U.S. Employer-Insured Population (Michal Horny)," Health Affairs Scholar
To propose a research method for identifying “practicing interventional radiologists” using 2 national claims data sets. Full Article
Mikki D. Waid, PhD, Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD, Matthew Hawkins, MD, Laura Findeiss, MD, Raymond Liu, MD. 2024. "A Claims-Based Method for Identification and Characterization of Practicing Interventional Radiologists," Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (JVIR)
Prudent imaging use is essential for cost reduction and efficient patient triage. Recent efforts have focused on head and neck CTA in patients with emergent concerns for non-focal neurological complaints, but have failed to demonstrate whether increases in utilization have resulted in better care. The objective of this study was to examine trends in head and neck CTA ordering and determine whether a correlation exists between imaging utilization and positivity rates. Full Article
Grant H. Rigney, Alexander H. King, Janice Chung, Soham Ghoshal, Aditya Jain, Zhuo Shi, Shahaan Razak, Joshua A. Hirsch, Michael H. Lev, Karen Buch & Marc D. Succi. 2024. "Trends in Non-Focal Neurological Chief Complaints and CT Angiography Utilization among Adults in the Emergency Department," Internal and Emergency Medicine
This JACR study assessed individual- and neighborhood-level sociodemographic factors associating with providers’ ordering of nonpharmacologic treatments for patients with low back pain (LBP), specifically physical therapy, image-guided interventions, and lumbar
surgery. Full Article
Miriam E. Peckham, MD, Lubdha M. Shah, MD, MS, Huong D. Meeks, PhD, MStat, MPH, Alison Fraser, MSPH, Carlos Galvao, BS, Ghazaleh Safazadeh, MPH, CPH, Troy A. Hutchins, MD, Yoshimi Anzai, MD, MPH, Julie M. Fritz, PhD, PT, ATC, Jacob Kean, PhD, Ruth C. Carlos, MD, MS. 2024. "Disparities in Provider Ordering Practices of Image-Guided Interventions and Surgery for Patients With Low Back Pain: A Cohort Study," Journal of American College of Radiology (JACR)
To build the Neiman Imaging Comorbidity Index (NICI), based on variables available in claims datasets, which provides good discrimination of an individual’s chance of receiving advanced imaging (CT, MR, PET), and thus, utility as a control variable in
research. Full Article
Casey E. Pelzl, MPH Andrew B. Rosenkrantz, MD Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD Eric W. Christensen, PhD. 2024. "The Neiman Imaging Comorbidity Index: Development and Validation in a National Commercial Claims Database," Journal of American College of Radiology (JACR)
Given the financial hardships of surprise billing for patients, the aim of this study was to assess the degree to which radiologists effectively participate in commercial insurance networks by examining the trend in the share of radiologists’ imaging claims that
are out of network (OON). Full Article
Jay R. Parikh, MD, Alexandra R. Drake, MPH, Mikki D. Waid, PhD, Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD, Eric W. Christensen, PhD. 2024. "Radiologists’ Out-of-Network Billing Trends, 2007 to 2021," Journal of American College of Radiology (JACR)
The federal No Surprises Act (NSA), designed to eliminate surprise medical billing for out-of-network (OON) care for circumstances beyond patients' control, established the independent dispute resolution (IDR) process to settle clinician-payer payment disputes for OON care. The objective of this study is to assess the fraction of OON claims for which radiologists and other hospital-based specialists can expect to at least break even when challenging payer-determined payments through the NSA IDR process, as a measure of the process's financial viability. Full Article
Eric W. Christensen, PhD, Mikki D. Waid, PhD, Joshua A. Hirsch, MD, Jay R. Parikh, MD, Ali S. Raja, MD, DBA, James P. Rathmell, MD, MBA, and Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD. 2024. "Financial Viability of the No Surprises Act Independent Dispute Resolution Process: Radiology and Other Hospital-Based Specialties," American Journal of Roentgenology
Medical imaging accounts for 85% of digital health’s venture capital funding. As funding grows, it is expected that artificial intelligence (AI) products will increase commensurately. The study’s objective is to project the number of new AI products given the statistical association between historical funding and FDA-approved AI products. Full Article
Nicole K. McNabb, BS Eric W. Christensen, PhD Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD Laura Coombs, PhD Keith Dreyer, DO, PhD Christoph Wald, MD Christopher Treml, MS. 2023. "Projected Growth in FDA-Approved Artificial Intelligence Products Given Venture Capital Funding," Journal of American College of Radiology (JACR)
The Medicare program, by law, must remain budget neutral. Increases in volume or relative value units (RVUs) for individual services necessitate declines in either the conversion factor or assigned RVUs for other services for budget neutrality. This study aimed to assess the contribution of budget neutrality on reimbursement trends per Medicare fee-for-service beneficiary for services provided by radiologists. Full Article
Eric W. Christensen, PhD Gregory N. Nicola, MD Elizabeth Y. Rula, PhD Lauren P. Nicola, MD Jennifer Hemingway, MS Joshua A. Hirsch, MD. 2023. "Budget Neutrality and Medicare Physician Fee Schedule Reimbursement Trends for Radiologists, 2005 to 2021," Journal of American College of Radiology (JACR)
A recent study found overall estimated screening rates of 1.75% for people covered by commercial insurance, 3.37% for those covered by traditional Medicare (fee-for-service), and 4.56% for those covered by Medicare Advantage plans. Full Article
Mary Beth Nierengarten, Elizabeth Rula, PhD. 2023. "Overall Lung Cancer Screening Rates Low," Cancer
