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Hospital and Physician Update

September – October 2019

Study: Reducing unnecessary imaging in ERs could save millions of dollars

A study published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine found that Michigan hospitals could avoid more than $3.8 million in costs annually by cutting down on unnecessary imaging tests in the emergency room.

According to the study, which looked at more than 1 million emergency room visits at 16 hospitals, much of the imaging could have been avoided.

The study, using data from June 1, 2016, to Oct. 31, 2017, found the potential to avoid the following:

  • 1,519 CT scans for minor head injury
  • 3,308 chest X-rays for children with asthma, bronchiolitis or croup
  • 4,254 CT scans for suspected pulmonary embolism

Unnecessary testing not only adds substantial cost to a health care system that is already bursting at the seams, it can sometimes harm patients and reduces the availability of resources for other patients, said Value Partnerships Medical Director Dr. Faris Ahmad.

Ahmad is clinical lead for the Michigan Emergency Department Improvement Collaborative, which collected the data for the study. MEDIC, one of the Collaborative Quality Initiatives funded and formed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, is working with 19 hospitals to address excessive imaging.

CQIs are a component of the Value Partnerships program, which arranges for hospitals and physicians across Michigan to collect, share and analyze data, then design and implement changes to improve patient care.

For more information about the study, click here to read an article from the U-M Health Lab.
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