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Body MR Imaging and CT Volume: Variations and Trends Based on an Analysis of Medicare and Fee-for-Service Health Insurance Databases

¹ Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University, 1096 Main Bldg,, 132 S. 10th St., Philadelphia, PA 19107.
² Research Department, American College of Radiology, 1891 Preston White Dr., Reston, VA 20191-4397.

OBJECTIVE. We examined Medicare and fee-for-service data sets to understand better the utilization of MR imaging for imaging the pelvis, abdomen, and chest relative to its use in imaging for other body parts and to the utilization of CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS. CT and MR imaging procedure volumes for pelvis, abdomen, chest, and total were extracted from the 1993, 1996, and 1999 Health Care Financing Administration Physician/Supplier Procedure Summary Master Files, based on CPT-4 codes. We also analyzed a fee-for-service health insurance database for January 1998 through July 1999 from a single northeastern state, which included provider location (rural, suburban, or urban) and type (teaching or nonteaching site).

RESULTS. The greatest 3-year Medicare increase was for obdominal MR imaging, from 1996 to 1999 (101% increase). However, pelvic, abdominal, and chest MR imaging together remained less than 5% of total MR imaging. Abdominal MR imaging increased more than did total MR imaging in all 10 Health Care Financing Administration regions. In the fee-for-service database, the relative procedure volume of abdominal MR imaging varied approximately fivefold from rural to urban provider locations, and approximately double from nonteaching to teaching hospitals.

CONCLUSION. Although far more abdominal CT than abdominal MR imaging is performed, the rate of abdominal MR imaging utilization has increased more rapidly since 1993. The relative procedure volume of abdominal MR imaging varied more than fivefold from rural to urban provider locations and double from nonteaching to teaching hospitals.

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