Advance Scans Limited By Health Insurance Companies
Advanced medical scans like CT scans are going to be limited because of spiraling costs as well as safety concerns. Emerging evidence suggests that these scans are often over prescribed. There are more concerns about safety, rising costs and quality in this area.
More preauthorizations are being required by health insurance firms before patients get these scans. There are other restrictions including a credentials check on the imaging equipment as well as the staff operating it. Due to repeated CT and PET scans, patients may be exposed to dangerous levels of radiation, many times more than that of a regular chest X-ray.
There is concern over scans done as “defensive medicine” to protect against lawsuits. Also issues with unscrupulous doctors who order tests for financial reasons abound. In-office imaging may be just for dollars and this is a growing concern.
The biggest issue with medical imaging tests is the insurance red tape that is required to get them. One reason for increasing costs is that doctors order a test that does not need preauthorization and if it shows an advanced test is needed then they ask for one.
