How Much Is That Head CT? Price Transparency and Variability in Radiology

PurposeTo extend the investigation of price transparency and variability to medical imaging.MethodsEighteen upper-tier academic hospitals identified by U.S. News & World Report and 14 of the 100 largest private radiology practices in the country identified by the Radiology Business Journal were contacted by telephone between December 2013 and February 2014 to determine the cash price for a noncontrast head CT. The price for a noncontrast head CT was chosen to assess price transparency in medical imaging because it represents a standard imaging examination with minimal differences in quality.ResultsFourteen upper-tier academic hospitals (78%) and 11 private practices (79%) were able to provide prices for a noncontrast head CT. There was no significant difference between the proportions of upper-tier academic hospitals and private practices that were able to provide prices for a noncontrast head CT (P = .96). The average total price for the upper-tier academic hospitals was $1,390.12 ± $686.13, with the price ranging from $391.62 to $2,015. The average total price for the private practices was $681.60 ± $563.58, with the total price ranging from $211 to $2,200.ConclusionsPrices for a noncontrast head CT study were readily available from the vast majority of upper-tier academic hospitals and private practices, although there was tremendous variation in the price estimates both within and between the upper-tier academic hospitals and private practices. Routine medical imaging thus appears to be more price transparent compared with other health care services.     

ACR Appropriateness Criteria Vomiting in Infants up to 3 Months of Age

Vomiting is a commonly reported symptom in infants less than three months of age. There are a multitude of pathologies to consider, both within and outside the gastrointestinal tract. In addition to conducting a thorough history and physical examination, a clinician formulates a reasonable differential diagnosis by consideration of two main factors: the infant’s age and the characterization of the vomit as bilious or nonbilious. In this endeavor, the clinician is able to determine if an imaging study is needed and, if so, the urgency of the request. A review of the appropriate imaging evaluation of vomiting infants in the newborn to three-month-old age group is provided by organizing the discussion around the following three clinical scenarios: bilious vomiting, intermittent nonbilious vomiting since birth, and new-onset bilious vomiting.The ACR Appropriateness Criteria are evidence-based guidelines for specific clinical conditions that are reviewed every three years by a multidisciplinary expert panel. The guideline development and review include an extensive analysis of current medical literature from peer-reviewed journals and the application of a well-established consensus methodology (modified Delphi) to rate the appropriateness of imaging and treatment procedures by the panel. In those instances in which evidence is lacking or not definitive, expert opinion may be used to recommend imaging or treatment.     

Quality Measurements in Radiology: A Systematic Review of the Literature and Survey of Radiology Benefit Management Groups

PurposeAs the US health care system transitions toward value-based reimbursement, there is an increasing need for metrics to quantify health care quality. Within radiology, many quality metrics are in use, and still more have been proposed, but there have been limited attempts to systematically inventory these measures and classify them using a standard framework. The purpose of this study was to develop an exhaustive inventory of public and private sector imaging quality metrics classified according to the classic Donabedian framework (structure, process, and outcome).MethodsA systematic review was performed in which eligibility criteria included published articles (from 2000 onward) from multiple databases. Studies were double-read, with discrepancies resolved by consensus. For the radiology benefit management group (RBM) survey, the six known companies nationally were surveyed. Outcome measures were organized on the basis of standard categories (structure, process, and outcome) and reported using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.ResultsThe search strategy yielded 1,816 citations; review yielded 110 reports (29 included for final analysis). Three of six RBMs (50%) responded to the survey; the websites of the other RBMs were searched for additional metrics. Seventy-five unique metrics were reported: 35 structure (46%), 20 outcome (27%), and 20 process (27%) metrics. For RBMs, 35 metrics were reported: 27 structure (77%), 4 process (11%), and 4 outcome (11%) metrics. The most commonly cited structure, process, and outcome metrics included ACR accreditation (37%), ACR Appropriateness Criteria (85%), and peer review (95%), respectively.ConclusionsImaging quality metrics are more likely to be structural (46%) than process (27%) or outcome (27%) based (P < .05). As national value-based reimbursement programs increasingly emphasize outcome-based metrics, radiologists must keep pace by developing the data infrastructure required to collect outcome-based quality metrics.     

Imaging of bone metastasis: An update

Early detection of skeletal metastasis is critical for accurate staging and optimal treatment. This paper briefly reviews our current understanding of the biological mechanisms through which tumours metastasise to bone and describes the available imaging methods to diagnose bone metastasis and monitor response to treatment. Among the various imaging modalities currently available for imaging skeletal metastasis, hybrid techniques which fuse morphological and functional data are the most sensitive and specific, and positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography and PET/magnetic resonance imaging will almost certainly continue to evolve and become increasingly important in this regard.     

多回波快速自旋回波T2 mapping定量技术评价心肌T2值的价值

 目的 探讨多回波快速自旋回波序列(MEFSE)的T₂ mapping定量技术评价左室心肌T₂值的价值。方法 30例健康志愿者,均行3.0T心脏磁共振(CMR)Cine电影、T₂WI序列、MEFSE T₂ mapping序列扫描,依据描述性研究方法,探索MEFSE T₂ mapping序列临床应用的可行性和可重复性,测定感兴趣区T₂值,应用方差分析方法统计分析心肌17节段和不同供血区下有无差异。应用Bland~Altman分析和Pearson相关分析方法研究此技术在不同观察者间的一致性。结果 健康志愿者17节段心肌T₂值不全相等(P＜0.01)。不同冠状动脉供血区T₂值无统计学差异(F=1.656,P=0.192)。左室心肌平均T₂值如下:基底部,(71.6±7.1)ms;中间部,(77.3±9.2) ms;心尖部,(83.0±8.5)ms,差异有统计学意义(F=14.245,P＜0.01)。根据Bland-Altman一致性分析和Pearson相关分析得到参数测量在观察者间具有良好的一致性,95%一致性界限(-6.1,24.8)ms,相关系数r=0.809。结论 CMR MEFSE T₂ mapping定量技术在心脏成像中具有较好的可行性和可重复性。中国健康志愿者中心肌T₂值存在节段性差异。     

附件骨MRI鉴别诊断脊椎骨髓瘤和转移瘤

目的：探讨附件骨MRI在脊椎骨髓瘤、转移瘤鉴别诊断。方法：分析侵及附件骨的脊椎骨髓瘤、转移瘤各32例，包括病变的数目、分布、形态、大小等方面。结果：脊椎骨髓瘤附件骨弥漫性受侵，呈小斑片状、结节状，附件骨的形态多无明显改变，其周围很少有软组织肿块包绕。而脊椎转移瘤附件骨多为单一部位受累，呈团块状，形态较大，多有肿块包绕，常致附件骨增粗较明显，甚至完全破坏。结论：脊椎骨髓瘤、转移瘤附件骨MRI表现的差异性，有助于对二者的鉴别，为临床治疗方法的选择提供可靠依据。