Published on March 10, 2010 at 6:11 AM
Positron Corporation (OTCBB:POSC). The growth rate among nonradiologists
who own or lease PET
equipment was far higher than radiologists between 2002 and 2007,
according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of
the American College of Radiology (JACR
Volume
7, Issue 3, March 2010, Pages 187-191).
The data for the study was collected utilizing the Medicare
Part B Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files for 2002
through 2007.
The study states "Although a large percentage of PET scans in private
offices are done by radiologists (45.4 percent in 2007), the growth rate
among nonradiologists was far higher (737 percent) than radiologists
(259 percent) between 2002 and 2007 and private-office PET market share
for nonradiologists rose from 13 percent in 2002 to 24 percent in 2007”,
according to Rajan
Agarwal, MD and colleagues at the department of radiology, University
of Pennsylvania Health System in Philadelphia.
“Five specialty groups accounted for 95 percent of all nonradiologist
PET volume in 2007: internal
medicine subspecialties (28,324 studies in 2007), medical oncology
(14,320 studies), cardiology
(13,724 studies), radiation
oncology (9,563 studies), and primary
care (2,398 studies), An additional contributing factor could be
technical reimbursements
for PET scans. Favorable technical-component reimbursements increase the
profitability of scans performed on privately owned scanners, providing
further incentive to nonradiologists to purchase PET scanners,” added
Agarwal.
Source
Positron Corporation