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The Uneasy Intersection of Patient Satisfaction, Quality of Care, and Overuse

Richard A. Deyo, MD, MPH

Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(10):921-923.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Medical imaging is a growth industry. A 2008 report by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) noted that in just 7 years, from 2000 through 2006, Medicare spending for imaging more than doubled to approximately $14 billion. Most of the growth was in advanced imaging such as computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR) imaging.¹ In the particular case of lumbar spine imaging, MR images covered by Medicare increased 307% between 1994 and 2005.² The GAO linked spending growth, in part, to a shift of more advanced imaging from hospitals into physician offices. It also noted wide geographic variability in the use of imaging, "suggesting that not all utilization was necessary or appropriate."^1(p5)

Spine imaging has come under particular scrutiny because both evidence and expert opinion suggest it is overused.^3-5 On the one hand, the yield of unexpected findings is low: a 10-year Swedish study estimated . . . [Full Text of this Article]

PATIENT OUTCOMES


PATIENT SATISFACTION

QUALITY IMPROVEMENT

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

AUTHOR INFORMATION


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