Changes in Hospital Outpatient Quality Reporting Program Brain CT Efficiency Performance, 2013 to 2018.

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Health Services Research
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Inefficient imaging practices require attention with the Appropriate Use Criteria Program implementation.
• Outpatient brain CT imaging efficiency is a key area for improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify changes in outpatient brain CT imaging efficiency from 2013 to 2018.
• To analyze relative efficiency changes across different hospital categories.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Medicare Hospital Compare data for imaging efficiency.
• Calculated rates of unnecessarily combined brain and sinus CT scans (2013-2018).
• Employed linear regression to identify predictors of brain CT efficiency.

Main Results:

• Mean frequency of combined scans decreased by 1.82% from 2013 to 2018.
• Hospital ownership and government-owned status impacted efficiency.
• Radiology residency affiliation showed increased combined scans by 2018.

Conclusions:

• Hospitals show category-specific responsiveness to quality improvement initiatives.
• Observed efficiency trends may predict future performance under new programs.