MITA: Lower CT use kills need for more Medicare cuts

A recent report documenting a decline in CT utilization supports the stance that further Medicare cuts are unnecessary and potentially harmful, according to the Medial Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA).

The report, by market research firm IMV Medical Information Division, indicates that the number of CT procedures performed in the U.S. has declined at an average annual rate of 5.5% over the past two years.

"Further across-the-board reimbursement cuts to medical imaging services at a time when utilization is clearly on the decline would only contribute to the many access barriers that millions of patients in need of care currently face," MITA Executive Director Gail Rodriguez said in a statement.

The IMV report states that CT procedure volume peaked in 2011 with 85.3 million studies performed in the U.S. That total fell by 5.5% to 80.6 million studies in 2012, and then fell by another 5.5% to 76 million examinations in 2013.

Disclosure notice: AuntMinnie.com is a subsidiary of IMV Ltd.