Computed tomography scan use variation: patient, hospital, and geographic factors.

CONCLUSIONS: After controlling for patient and hospital characteristics, significant geographic variation remained at the level of the county, which indicates that additional research investigating the use of CT scans is necessary to understand the reasons behind small-area variation. Understanding the distribution and practice patterns of specific physician specialties may be helpful in curtailing underuse and overuse.
PMID: 23534948 [PubMed - in process]

Source: The American Journal of Managed Care - March 1, 2013 Category: Health Management Authors: Vance EA, Xie X, Henry A, Wernz C, Slonim AD Tags: Am J Manag Care Source Type: research