Imagers hurdle obstacles in shift to low-dose CT

As radiation exposure continues to grab headlines and patients ply physicians with questions, more providers are transitioning to low-dose imaging. However, the road to low-dose CT is riddled with potholes.

New software on premium CT scanners can cut radiation exposure by as much as 65 percent, but requires too much time to be used in emergency imaging, according to North Shore LIJ Health System. And clinicians at NY Langone Medical Center continue to order CT exams with and without contrast, while payers reimburse radiologists for reading both exams, a “perverse incentive,” according to Alec J. Megibow, MD, of NY Langone.

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