CT Growth an Emergency Situation
Computer tomography use has increased faster in emergency departments than in any other medical setting, according to a study in Radiology. Data from the 1995–2007 National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey showed that emergency department visits that included a CT exam increased from 2.7 million to 16.2 million, an annual growth rate of 16%. The percentage of visits associated with CT increased nearly fivefold, from 2.8% in 1995 to 13.9% in 2007. CT use was higher in older and white patients, and those who were admitted to the hospital or a facility in a metropolitan region. The chief complaints among patients who underwent CT exams were abdominal pain, headache, and chest pain, according to the report.
Stroke Deaths Fall Behind
Stroke is no longer the third leading cause of death in the United States, replaced after more than 5 decades by chronic lower respiratory diseases, according the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Heart disease and cancer hold their rankings at first and second. There were 133,750 deaths from stroke in 2008, compared with 141,075 deaths from chronic lower respiratory diseases, according to “Deaths: Preliminary Data for 2008.” The authors speculate that the new ranking may be due to changes in classification and coding of chronic lower respiratory diseases by the World Health Organization, and they said they will do further analysis. The report also shows that death rates from several conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, increased significantly in 2008.
Imaging Self-Referrals Derided
Doctors referring patients to their own imaging services cost American health care extra without delivering the practice's supposed advantages, according to several studies in Health Affairs. One paper reported that neurologists and orthopedists who bought magnetic resonance machines in the early 2000s “ordered substantially more scans once they began billing for MRI.” Another report – from researchers at the American College of Radiology – found that despite the promise of patient convenience, fewer than one in six people referred to doctors' own MRI or CT machines got their scans on the day of their office visits. And episodes of self-referral for imaging led to higher cost but not generally to reduced lengths of illness, according to another report in the journal's December issue.
Physician-Hospital Lawsuit Will End
A Texas judge indicated he would dismiss a suit seeking to repeal a section of the health reform law barring expansion and new construction of physician-owned hospitals. In canceling a trial date, U.S. District Court Judge Michael H. Schneider said that in a forthcoming final judgment he would rule against the Physician Hospitals of America claim that the ban on physician-owned hospitals is unconstitutional and vague. However, Judge Schneider said the court has jurisdiction to consider the case and that the law “has retroactive effect,” rulings that encouraged the plaintiffs in further appeals.
AMA Issues Social Media Policy
Physicians using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter should carefully guard patient privacy while monitoring their own Internet presence to make sure it is accurate and appropriate, the American Medical Association said in a new policy statement. During its semiannual policy meeting in San Diego, the AMA called for physicians to “recognize that actions online and content posted can negatively affect their reputations among patients and colleagues, and may even have consequences for their medical careers.” The AMA urges physicians to set privacy settings on Web sites at their highest levels, maintain appropriate boundaries when interacting with patients online, and consider separating personal and professional content online.