Utilization Trends in Noncardiac Thoracic Imaging, 2002-2014.

Area of Science:

• Radiology and Medical Imaging
• Health Services Research
• Public Health

Background:

• Noncardiac thoracic imaging is crucial for diagnosing a wide range of conditions.
• Understanding utilization trends is vital for resource allocation and healthcare policy.
• The Medicare population represents a significant demographic for analyzing healthcare service usage.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze recent trends in the utilization of various noncardiac thoracic imaging modalities.
• To examine changes in the use of specific imaging techniques like CT, CTA, and x-ray.
• To assess the role of radiologists versus nonradiologist physicians in thoracic imaging.

Main Methods:

• Review of Medicare Part B databases from 2002 to 2014.
• Categorization of noninvasive thoracic imaging CPT codes into seven modalities.
• Calculation of yearly utilization rates per 1,000 beneficiaries and analysis by provider specialty.

Main Results:

• Total thoracic imaging utilization decreased by 16% from 2005 to 2014.
• Chest x-ray use declined significantly, largely responsible for the overall decrease.
• Utilization of CT and computed tomographic angiography (CTA) increased substantially during the study period.

Conclusions:

• Despite increased CT and CTA use, overall thoracic imaging utilization has declined.
• The decrease in chest x-ray utilization is the primary driver of the overall trend.
• Radiologists' share of thoracic imaging services increased from 87% to 91% between 2002 and 2014.