United States: Medical facilities, along with imaging centers, must track CT scan radiation exposure data for Medicare submission according to current regulatory guidelines.
The implementation of new rules began in January because CT scan researchers expressed concerns about cancer-related risks from these scans.
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Patients receiving CT scans to study cancer and heart diseases can acquire ten to fifteen times more radiation exposure for equivalent diagnostic examinations, the US News reported.
According to Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school, It’s unfathomable,” and “We keep doing more and more CTs, and the doses keep going up.”
Different CT scans expose patients to radiation doses that vary between 10 and 15 times more or less within the same procedure, according to the healthcare provider, as US News reported.
“There is very large variation, and the doses vary by an order of magnitude — tenfold, not 10% different — for patients seen for the same clinical problem,” Smith-Bindman added.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) established new requirements to establish uniformity in CT scan radiation doses combined with safer imaging practices.
Hospital facilities, together with imaging centers, must now gather specific indicators about radiation discharge from their scanners according to new regulations.
The assessment methods should be improved to determine whether medical professionals administer the right doses of these treatments.
Compliance with this requirement is mandatory starting in 2027 for all providers because non-compliance results in Medicare financial penalties.
What more are the experts stating?
According to Dr. Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school, It’s unfathomable,” and “We keep doing more and more CTs, and the doses keep going up.”
The enforcement timeline spans three years, and numerous providers do not need to start compliance during this period, as the US News reported.
Research from medical market firm IMV demonstrates that Americans undergo more than 93 million CT scans yearly, and older adults aged 60 and above make up most of these cases, US News reported.
The individual cancer dangers related to a single CT scan remain low, but continuous CT exposure poses increasing risks.
Research from 2009 indicated CT imaging would result in 2% of future cancer cases, although modern experts believe this risk factor might be higher considering the rising volume of CT scan procedures.
CT imaging tests create additional cancer risks for senior citizens because of past imaging that they received earlier in their lives.