Imaging and Insurance - Diagnostic Imaging Brief

Insurance influences which type of fibroid treatment a woman undergoes

AuntMinnie

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

Whether a woman is covered by Medicare or by commercial insurance appears to influence the type of treatment she will likely undergo for uterine fibroids, researchers have reported. of receiving it laparoscopically compared to their commercially insured counterparts. The final study sample consisted of 579,153 procedures.

Insurance

Insurance Radiologist Medicare Ultrasound

Experts call for CPT codes for imaging AI reimbursement

AuntMinnie

JANUARY 24, 2025

Imaging AI tools and algorithms continue to be rapidly developed and deployed into clinics, but experts say theres an elephant in the room that still needs to be addressed: reimbursement. Specifically, AI supporters are focusing on the lack of current procedural terminology (CPT) codes representing imaging services performed with AI.

Imaging

Imaging Mammogram Insurance Medicare

Publicly insured pregnant women less likely to get 20-week ultrasounds

AuntMinnie

SEPTEMBER 23, 2024

Publicly insured pregnant women are less likely to get 20-week ultrasounds, a phenomenon that drives disparities in prenatal diagnosis of congenital heart defects, according to research published September 23 in Prenatal Diagnosis. “To Of these, 305 had a prenatal diagnosis of a fetal heart defect and 215 were publicly insured.

Insurance

Insurance Ultrasound Public Health Hospital

Experts talk breast imaging's 2024 for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

AuntMinnie

OCTOBER 3, 2024

celebrates this year's Breast Cancer Awareness Month, radiology experts and advocates reflect on the big year that breast imaging has had. The mandate requires imaging facilities to disclose breast density information to patients receiving breast cancer screening. As the U.S. From the U.S.

Imaging

Imaging Insurance Education Hospital

New York governor signs bill to expand coverage for breast imaging

Radiology Business

OCTOBER 2, 2024

The legislation changes state insurance laws to require individual, group and nonprofit health plans to reimburse for both screening and diagnostic imaging.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging Diagnostic Imaging Diagnostic

How Much Will My Imaging Exam Cost? Understanding Insurance and Out-of-Pocket Costs

TRA Medical Imaging

FEBRUARY 4, 2025

When your doctor orders an imaging exam, one of the first questions you might have is: How much will this cost? At TRA Medical Imaging, we believe in transparent pricing and helping you navigate the complexities of insurance coverage, out-of-pocket costs, and financial assistance options. Does Insurance Cover My Imaging Exam?

Insurance

Insurance Imaging Medical Imaging X-ray

Federal law change would require all insurers to cover any supplemental breast imaging

Radiology Business

MAY 22, 2023

The Find it Early Act has support from both political parties, alongside the American College of Radiology and journalist/cancer survivor Katie Couric.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging Radiology IT

Lawmakers in 4 states introduce bills requiring insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging

Radiology Business

JANUARY 10, 2024

Those include Florida, New Hampshire, Vermont and Virginia, with thousands of patients standing to benefit, according to Susan G. Komen.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging

Disparities persist in availability of diagnostic breast services

AuntMinnie

FEBRUARY 18, 2025

Women in racial and ethnic minority backgrounds are less likely to be provided same-day diagnostic breast imaging services, despite such services being available, according to research published February 18 in Radiology. Additional imaging and possibly image-guided biopsy are recommended for women who have an abnormal screening mammogram.

Diagnostic

Diagnostic Mammogram Insurance Diagnostic Imaging

Men at risk for prostate cancer could be forgoing necessary imaging due to climbing out-of-pocket costs

Health Imaging

JULY 15, 2024

Experts are calling for insurance companies to provide full coverage for imaging and other necessary exams, if indicated by an abnormal prostate cancer screening test.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging

Imaging centers, Bon Secours Mercy Health sue insurer Anthem BCBS seeking $93M

Radiology Business

AUGUST 29, 2023

The payer has allegedly engaged in “slow pay and no pay tactics," resulting in an "enormous" volume of claims being denied or downgraded.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging

Same hospital, same insurer, but imaging prices twice as high for commercial vs. Medicare Advantage plans

Radiology Business

AUGUST 23, 2023

When stated in dollar terms, the median price for imaging services was $490 across commercial plans compared to $191 in MA, experts wrote in Health Affairs.

Insurance

Insurance Medicare Hospital Imaging

Study finds decreases in imaging's share of all healthcare spending

AuntMinnie

MARCH 29, 2024

Although medical imaging has frequently been considered a major culprit behind the growth of healthcare spending in the U.S., its share among employer-insured individuals actually decreased between 2010 and 2021, researchers have reported. In fact, imaging's part fell from 10.5% What's more, "nominal spending" (i.e.,

Healthcare

Healthcare Healthcare Nuclear Medicine Imaging

Are patients getting recommended imaging follow-up?

AuntMinnie

DECEMBER 4, 2023

Patients who need imaging follow-up but don't get it -- due to health-related social needs obstacles -- require support, according to research presented November 29 at the RSNA meeting. The team also evaluated factors associated with imaging hardship and nonadherence. About 30% said imaging was a financial burden, Cuyegkeng reported.

Imaging

Imaging Insurance Medicare Radiology

Patients miss nearly 24% of outpatient imaging appointments, with most due to cancellation

Radiology Business

MAY 6, 2024

Patients who are younger, unwed, live in disadvantaged neighborhoods, or lack adequate insurance are more likely to miss their exams.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging

Commercially insured women less likely to be referred for interventional procedures

Health Imaging

FEBRUARY 19, 2025

These findings raise the question of whether insurance reimbursement impacts referral patterns for other conditions and specialties, and the extent to which it may outweigh evidence-based care decisions."

Insurance

Insurance IT

Imaging centers, hospital system reach agreement with Anthem BCBS in $93M dispute

Radiology Business

OCTOBER 4, 2023

28, alleging Virginia's largest commercial insurer had denied or downgraded an enormous volume of claims. Bon Secours Mercy Health filed suit Aug.

Hospital

Hospital Insurance Imaging

Mo. law to have insurance companies cover diagnostic breast imaging

AuntMinnie

JULY 13, 2023

A new Missouri law will require health insurance companies to pay the full cos.

Insurance

Insurance Diagnostic Imaging Ultrasound

Insurance 101 – Understanding Medical Insurance when it comes to Medical Imaging

Intermountain Medical Imaging

OCTOBER 9, 2023

In today’s complex healthcare landscape, understanding medical insurance and medical imaging is crucial for patients to make informed decisions about their health. Medical imaging plays a pivotal role in diagnosing and monitoring various medical conditions, but navigating the associated costs can be challenging.

Insurance

Insurance Medical Imaging Medical IT

Cigna is removing 25% of medical services from prior authorization, but none of them are in imaging

Radiology Business

AUGUST 25, 2023

The health insurer has faced criticism over its use of PA, including a class action lawsuit alleging it denied claims for imaging and other healthcare services in bulk

Insurance

Insurance Medical Imaging Healthcare

Idaho outpatient imaging center suffers data breach

AuntMinnie

AUGUST 14, 2024

An outpatient imaging center was part of a data breach disclosed August 12 by Kootenai Health in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, that impacted 464,088 patients. To date, Kootenai Health is not aware of any attempt to misuse any information potentially involved in this incident,” the health system said.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging Diagnose Medical

ACR/RBMA workforce survey: Radiologist recruiting remains a key concern

AuntMinnie

JANUARY 30, 2025

The volume of radiology examinations per patient has exploded, while the availability of additional radiologists to assist with increased imaging has not kept pace," Dibble and colleagues noted. Both hospital (85%) and national (89%) practices were more likely than academic ones (77%) to offer malpractice insurance.

Radiologist

Radiologist Private Practice Hospital Insurance

Radiology societies urge commercial insurers to align with Medicare on payment policy for key procedure

Radiology Business

MAY 8, 2023

Imaging groups and pain-management associations urged Humana, Aetna and others to lift restrictions around procedures to treat compression fractures.

Insurance

Insurance Medicare Radiology Imaging

UltraCon: Expert talks ultrasound's role in imaging dense breasts

AuntMinnie

APRIL 12, 2024

With federal and state-level legislation mandating insurance coverage for supplemental breast imaging and providers disclosing breast density information to patients, it seems like ultrasound would have an immediate and important role in this area.

Ultrasound

Ultrasound Insurance Imaging MRI

RadNet, cancer care advocates praise passage of bills to boost imaging coverage

Radiology Business

MAY 5, 2023

The policy changes forbid insurers from saddling patients with out-of-pocket costs for services associated with lung and breast cancer.

Insurance

Insurance Imaging

Insurance coverage a primary factor of breast cancer mortality

Health Imaging

DECEMBER 21, 2023

A new study found no significant differences in mortality based on race or ethnicity once cancer was confirmed.

Insurance

Few ‘surprise’ patient bills are from radiologists, study finds

AuntMinnie

JANUARY 22, 2024

Out-of-network billing by radiologists – often referred to as “surprise billing” – dropped significantly beginning in 2007 and imaging claims are now almost completely in network, according to a recent study. In an analysis of billing trends, the rate of out-of-network (OON) imaging claims declined from 12.6% in 2007 to 1.1%

Radiologist

Radiologist Insurance Imaging Modalities Nuclear Medicine

MICI Q2: Confidence in growth of imaging as profit center remains high

AuntMinnie

MARCH 6, 2025

Radiology administrators express very high confidence that imaging will grow as a profit center in coming months, according to The MarkeTech Group's Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI) report for the second quarter of 2025. Radiologist group is short-staffed, which is causing interventional radiology procedures to be limited."

Interventional Radiology

Interventional Radiology Imaging Medicare Government

Radiology data breach may have exposed private health information

Health Imaging

JUNE 18, 2024

Affected patients may have had their name, date of birth, address, health insurance information and medical information compromised, though there is currently no evidence that any data has been misused.

Insurance

Insurance Radiology Medical

ARCH-AI-accredited radiology group rejoins Strategic Radiology coalition

AuntMinnie

MARCH 21, 2025

The group serves hospitals, imaging centers, and outpatient practices while also fulfilling an academic mission as the radiology faculty at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School in New Brunswick, NJ. URG, a 60-year-old radiology practice based in East Brunswick, employs over 180 board-certified radiologists who interpret over 2.1

Radiology

Radiology Insurance Teleradiology Patient Care

New guidelines cover theranostics for brain tumors

AuntMinnie

OCTOBER 14, 2024

The use of somatostatin receptor PET imaging and therapy in meningiomas is on the rise, and new guidelines on their use can help pave the way to improved outcomes for patients, experts noted in a recent article. In the U.S., healthcare setting, they wrote. The full article is available here.

Nuclear Medicine

Nuclear Medicine Radiopharmaceuticals Insurance Clinic

Insurer-owned hospital system has invested $400M to bolster radiology services in recent years

Radiology Business

APRIL 6, 2023

Highmark Health's latest effort will spend another $12 million to build a new 8,000 square-foot imaging center in western Pennsylvania.

Insurance

Insurance Hospital Radiology Imaging

HPI: Radiologist supply, imaging demand will contribute to future workforce shortage

AuntMinnie

FEBRUARY 12, 2025

and increased demand for imaging will likely lead to a continued workforce shortage, Harvey L. attrition, residency positions, imaging use per person) on future workforce sufficiency" through 2055, the HPI said. In the imaging demand trend study, Christensen's group estimated future imaging utilization using data regarding U.S.

Radiologist

Radiologist Imaging Medicare Insurance

Patients covered by Medicaid less likely to undergo 20-week ultrasound during pregnancy

Health Imaging

SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

Babies born to women with public insurance also face lower odds of being diagnosed with congenital heart defects before birth, new research suggests.

Insurance

Insurance Ultrasound Diagnose

Choosing the Right Diagnostic Imaging Center: What Patients Should Consider

TRA Medical Imaging

NOVEMBER 15, 2024

When it comes to your health, selecting the right diagnostic imaging center is an important decision. Whether you’re getting a routine scan or investigating a specific health concern, the imaging center you choose can significantly impact the accuracy of your diagnosis and the quality of care you receive.

Diagnostic Imaging

Diagnostic Imaging Diagnostic Imaging Insurance

Wider use of cardiac PET faces challenges

AuntMinnie

JANUARY 17, 2024

Strategies to increase the use of cardiac PET myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) in the U.S. In Canada, PET/CT scanners are now available in all but one province and are publicly funded, yet 80% are primarily used for oncology, with limited and variable use in other imaging areas, they added. the authors noted.

Medicare

Medicare Insurance Education Radiation

Social determinants of health influence breast cancer screening uptake

AuntMinnie

MARCH 5, 2024

A team led by Lea Sacca, PhD, from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton found that insurance status, income, age, and ethnicity are some of the most influential factors in women being able to access breast cancer screening resources. women ages 40 and older.

Insurance

Insurance Education Public Health Healthcare

Radiologists can promote health equity with responsible AI use

AuntMinnie

MAY 29, 2024

Achieving health equity with AI in imaging requires overcoming barriers to how the technology analyzes people, according to a presentation given at the American Roentgen Ray Society (ARRS) annual meeting. Biased data results in biased AI models,” Yahyavi said.

Radiologist

Radiologist Insurance Image Interpretation Patient Care

Prior authorization adds to patient burden in cancer care

AuntMinnie

OCTOBER 19, 2023

Prior authorization is required for over 70% of imaging services for cancer care, according to survey findings published October 18 in JAMA Network Open. Prior authorization is a process used by some health insurance companies to determine if they will cover a prescribed procedure, service, or medication.

Insurance

Insurance Hospital Healthcare Healthcare

Safety net hospital provides equitable care in breast screening

AuntMinnie

DECEMBER 14, 2023

Other inequities have been reported in care utilization, insurance coverage, and health outcomes for women of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds. The Boyko team identified predictors tied to lower mortality in women diagnosed and treated for breast cancer at a safety net hospital. The full study can be found here.

Hospital

Hospital Insurance Diagnose Disease

Intermountain Medical Imaging Now Contracted and In-Network with St. Luke’s Health Partners (SLHP) Insurance Plans

Intermountain Medical Imaging

FEBRUARY 12, 2024

IMI joins SLHP, providing quality and affordable medical imaging to the Treasure Valley Healthcare Community {Boise, Idaho, February 15, 2024} SLHP members now have more options when it comes to accessing medical imaging within the Treasure Valley. Luke’s Health Partners.

Insurance

Insurance Medical Imaging Medical X-ray

Radiology Partners affiliate ARA Diagnostic Imaging reaches in-network deal with UnitedHealthcare

Radiology Business

FEBRUARY 5, 2025

The country's largest commercial insurer knocked the Austin, Texas, practice out of network in April 2023, after it had reportedly sought a 34% price hike over five years.

Diagnostic Imaging

Diagnostic Imaging Insurance Diagnostic Radiology

Lymphoscintigraphy underused in the U.S. to diagnose lymphedema

AuntMinnie

DECEMBER 18, 2023

insurance database who had a new diagnosis of lymphedema between April 2012 to March 2020. and 4.4%), while these imaging studies were less frequently used in the upper extremity, around 1%. Thus, to provide hard evidence of the frequency of its use, the researchers first identified 120,940 patients over the age of 18 from a U.S.

Diagnose

Diagnose Insurance Disease Ultrasound

Current topics in mammography

AuntMinnie

JANUARY 16, 2025

Considerations for subsequent imaging Patients identified as having dense breasts are recommended for additional imaging using MRI, ultrasound, or contrast-enhanced mammography (CEM). Patients with dense breasts might also require more frequent screening due to their increased risk. Sandy Coffta of Healthcare Administrative Partners.

Mammogram

Mammogram Insurance Ultrasound MRI

Insurance influences which type of fibroid treatment a woman undergoes

Experts call for CPT codes for imaging AI reimbursement

Trending Sources

Publicly insured pregnant women less likely to get 20-week ultrasounds

Experts talk breast imaging's 2024 for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

New York governor signs bill to expand coverage for breast imaging

How Much Will My Imaging Exam Cost? Understanding Insurance and Out-of-Pocket Costs

Federal law change would require all insurers to cover any supplemental breast imaging

Lawmakers in 4 states introduce bills requiring insurers to cover supplemental breast imaging

Disparities persist in availability of diagnostic breast services

Men at risk for prostate cancer could be forgoing necessary imaging due to climbing out-of-pocket costs

Imaging centers, Bon Secours Mercy Health sue insurer Anthem BCBS seeking $93M

Same hospital, same insurer, but imaging prices twice as high for commercial vs. Medicare Advantage plans

Study finds decreases in imaging's share of all healthcare spending

Are patients getting recommended imaging follow-up?

Patients miss nearly 24% of outpatient imaging appointments, with most due to cancellation

Commercially insured women less likely to be referred for interventional procedures

Imaging centers, hospital system reach agreement with Anthem BCBS in $93M dispute

Mo. law to have insurance companies cover diagnostic breast imaging

Insurance 101 – Understanding Medical Insurance when it comes to Medical Imaging

Cigna is removing 25% of medical services from prior authorization, but none of them are in imaging

Idaho outpatient imaging center suffers data breach

ACR/RBMA workforce survey: Radiologist recruiting remains a key concern

Radiology societies urge commercial insurers to align with Medicare on payment policy for key procedure

UltraCon: Expert talks ultrasound's role in imaging dense breasts

RadNet, cancer care advocates praise passage of bills to boost imaging coverage

Insurance coverage a primary factor of breast cancer mortality

Few ‘surprise’ patient bills are from radiologists, study finds

MICI Q2: Confidence in growth of imaging as profit center remains high

Radiology data breach may have exposed private health information

ARCH-AI-accredited radiology group rejoins Strategic Radiology coalition

New guidelines cover theranostics for brain tumors

Insurer-owned hospital system has invested $400M to bolster radiology services in recent years

HPI: Radiologist supply, imaging demand will contribute to future workforce shortage

Patients covered by Medicaid less likely to undergo 20-week ultrasound during pregnancy

Choosing the Right Diagnostic Imaging Center: What Patients Should Consider

Wider use of cardiac PET faces challenges

Social determinants of health influence breast cancer screening uptake

Radiologists can promote health equity with responsible AI use

Prior authorization adds to patient burden in cancer care

Safety net hospital provides equitable care in breast screening

Intermountain Medical Imaging Now Contracted and In-Network with St. Luke’s Health Partners (SLHP) Insurance Plans

Radiology Partners affiliate ARA Diagnostic Imaging reaches in-network deal with UnitedHealthcare

Lymphoscintigraphy underused in the U.S. to diagnose lymphedema

Current topics in mammography

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