6 trends in imaging use, RVU rates from 2001 to 2014

A study published in Health Affairs examined imaging use as a driver of healthcare costs, tracking trends for Medicare Part B patients from 2001 to 2014.

The study authors calculated utilization rates per 1,000 enrollees for advanced imaging modalities and professional component relative value unit rates per 1,000 beneficiaries for al imaging modalities. The study found:

1. Imaging utilization rates grew substantially from 2001 to 2008; the RVU rates grew through 2009.

2. Between 2008 and 2014, the utilization rates dropped. The RVU rates also declined from 2009 to 2014.

3. Federal policies including the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 — which took effect in 2007 — and reimbursement cuts post-2008 made an impact on imaging use and RVU rates.

4. Patient education about imaging online lead to patients asking for the imaging tests at a higher rate than before when they identified symptoms. Physicians also ordered higher volumes of imaging tests due to medical liability concerns during the early part of the decade.

5. Noninvasive diagnostic imaging declined slowly from 2011 to 2014, according to the study, and advanced imaging modalities such as nuclear imaging and echocardiography showed "slight growth."

6. While it's difficult to predict future use — as some factors could promote growth while others are designed to restrict it — the study authors believe that "absent further major code bundling, imaging use rates and RVU rates will remain at current levels for the foreseeable future without sustained or significant moves in either direction."

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