Expert Imaging Leads to Expert Diagnosis

Huffington Post—November 3, 2010

Helene Pavlov, M.D., FACR, Radiologist-in-Chief at Hospital for Special Surgery

As the Radiologist in Chief at Hospital for Special Surgery, an orthopedic hospital in New York City, I want to comment on an article that appeared in USA Today. The piece, which was titled, "Imaging at the doctor's: Good thing or transparent ploy?" addressed the concerns of how physicians are installing MRI, CT and other imaging equipment in their office and then performing imaging studies on their patients. This process of self-referring patients helps pay for their equipment and drives significant additional revenue. According to these physicians, the argument for in-office imaging equipment is patient convenience, one stop shopping and instant answers to the clinical question.

The potential problem with self-referred imaging examinations is the increased number of imaging examinations being ordered that may not be clinically required and the unnecessary exposure to ionizing radiation.

Read the full story at huffingtonpost.com.