CT and PET scans carry a very real risk of radiation exposure

Thomas Dehn, M.D., FACR, executive vice president and chief medical officer of National Imaging Associates, a Magellan Health Services (Nasdaq: MGLN) company, today issued the following statement about the New England Journal of Medicine study published on Aug. 27 regarding patient exposure to ionizing radiation in imaging procedures.

“This article in the New England Journal of Medicine (“Exposure to Low-Dose Ionizing Radiation from Medical Imaging Procedures”) further underscores the radiation safety risks for patients associated with the overuse of advanced diagnostic imaging procedures – especially those exams without established clinical necessity or value.

“As a radiologist, I've seen first-hand the amazing contributions that these imaging tests provide to patient care. However, study after study has proven that imaging exams that use ionizing radiation, especially CT and PET scans, carry a very real risk of radiation exposure. As with any technological advance or diagnostic option, it’s incumbent on our profession to responsibly balance the benefits and risks for each patient.

“When you consider the multiple studies that have concluded as many as one-third of all advanced imaging procedures paid for by Medicare are clinically unnecessary and do not contribute to the physician’s understanding of a patient’s condition, this issue takes on even greater significance.

“The best approach to managing this risk is not to curtail use of this technology or to heighten public fear in a way that discourages patients from following their physicians’ recommendations. Rather, we need a responsible system of checks and balances to safeguard the clinical appropriateness of these tests, ensuring that patients are receiving the right scans at the right time from the most qualified and safe imaging providers.

“This is becoming increasingly important with the annual increases in utilization of advanced imaging, not only as a safety issue but also as an issue of quality outcomes and responsible resource management.

“As Congress and the President continue working toward health care reform, it is imperative that provisions be included that help ensure the clinical appropriateness of each advanced imaging procedure by including the tools, resources, and guidance available from radiology benefits management.

“Radiology benefits management today is used to ensure that more than 90 million Americans have access to the most clinically appropriate, high-quality and safe advanced imaging procedures possible. The findings in this NEJM article emphasize the need to extend this same kind of protection to as many patients as possible, including our Medicare beneficiaries.”