[anniegetyourgun]

I wonder how many radio hosts got free scans for hocking these places on their programs!

[Founding Father]

when insurers refused to pay, requiring customers to dig into their own pockets for the tests, scanning centers found themselves cutting prices to compete. Within a year, some centers said, prices fell to less than $500 from $1,000 or more.

There is a remarkable lesson to be learned from these few words---take gubmint money out of medical care and prices will tumble. Basic supply/demand and all that...

[jocon307]

"The goal in life seems to be to try to figure out some way where you don't have to go to the hospital, where you don't have to take calls," Dr. Rosenkrantz said. "Radiologists saw this as a cash business and a way out."

Doesn't anybody want to work anymore?

My brother thought that things like this should be mandatory for all. He's a regular little Hillary in his health care views. Guess it just didn't work out.

[Carry_Okie]

I wonder what the true loaded cost of a regular colonoscopy is compared to one of these scans. I would bet that it is far more, especially when the risk of infection from an invasive procedure is considered, a risk that is elevating so rapidly that it may be unknown.

Unfortunately, the medical payments system is using required invasive hospital procedures to depreciate the cost of fixed capital and to help carry the cost of treating illegal aliens in emergency rooms. I seriously doubt that a fair economic cost/benefit analysis is possible, especially considering the array of vested interests involved.

[cricket]

"Dr. Barnett Kramer, director of the National Institutes of Health's office of disease prevention, said: "For every 100 healthy people who undergo a scan, somewhere between 30 and 80 of them will be told that there is something that needs a workup - and it will turn out to be nothing."

This is the lamest defense yet; and perhaps betrays the more common reason for this industry's demise. I mean. . .how many people have had a test based on a 'suspicion'. . .that turned out to be something innocuous.

Good grief. . .this is the traditional route that many follow; having had an exam by their own Doctor. Of course, herein lies the bigger problem; someone ie . . .a physician; is getting cut out of the traditional routing/appointment path of patient. . .or so they imagine.

Think, in fact, this would have increased their patient load; as more people are willing to initiate medical exams at a less invasive starting point. . .

But whatever: the 'better safe than sorry' route, probably merits a huge amount of the 'testing business'. . .some of that sorry of course, being protection against the dreaded law suit.

Just this week heard three people say they were getting 'cat scans' for their sinuses. . .ok. . .not saying it is not warrented; but the sudden popularlity of scanned sinusis; for a sinus infection. . .makes me pause and wonder. . .

THAT said. . .I am sorry these places are closing. I think, at some point in time; they will be back; and be more acceptable; perhaps even the required 'first step' to medical evaluations.

But then. . .what do I know! ;^#

[ladylib]

Within the past two months I got two letters from a woman doctor in my area inviting me to come in for a scan. I figured she must be desperate. I threw them in the garbage.

[neverdem]

FReepmail me if you want on or off my health and science ping list.

[WFTR]

I'm sorry to see the demise of something that may have put more power in the hands of the consumer. We've reached a point at which medicine has become a business, and many "recommendations" for maintaining our health are little more than advertising. No doubt, those who are making money from insurance companies paying for patients to follow these "recommendations" were not happy about any technology that cuts them out of the loop to some extent.

Bill

[Fishing-guy]

When I first heard about this 6-7 years ago, I thought this was a fad. How many healthy people have few thousands dollars to blow?

[cynicom]

Professional ethics versus money making.

[Coleus]

High radiation alert

[Maynerd]

FYI on ct coronary artery calcium score:

Small point about coronary artery calcium scoring. The test does not claim to localized specific sites of stenosis/narrowing. Conventional coronary angiography and possibly ct coronary angiography actually demonstrate regions of stenosis.

The coronary artery calcium score is a test measuring "plaque burden" and therefore is a marker of disease and indicates that further treatment or tests are warranted.

Also, it is estimated that over half of myocardial infarctions arise in arteries that are not critically narrowed. The current theory suggests an abrupt thrombosis (clot) within a diseased but not narrowed artery that develops when fatty/lipid plaque erodes and is directly exposed to the blood. The lipid incites a clotting cascade which clogs the artery and then kills the downstream heart muscle.

That's one reason why a baby aspirin every other day helps prevent heart attacks and strokes.

[SweetCaroline]

BUMP