Business communication applications soared during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic; the pandemic will eventually end, but telecommunications will now be a form of how we communicate and may be even more prevalent after the pandemic. As many cities shut down, organizations in the health care system and businesses alike had to change the way they work, and working remotely or from home became the new norm. As expected, the demand for videoconferencing also grew exponentially; mobile app downloads reached 62 million during the week of March 14 to 21, 2020, a 90% increase compared with pre-COVID-19 weekly download average [1]. Google Hangouts (Google, Mountainview, California), Zoom (San Jose, California), and Microsoft (Microsoft Corporation, Redmond, Washington) teams had increased downloads 30, 14, and 11 times more than the weekly average in the United States in the 2019 fourth quarter, respectively [1]. Communication styles differ between genders. Communication is not only about what one says and what one means-it is how one says it. Communication is influenced and shaped by our cultural experiences and gender stereotypes, and it is a learned social behavior from childhood [2]. This learned behavior from childhood affects our perception of the confidence and competence of any person with whom we converse in adulthood. This determines who gets heard and who gets credit in the workplace. Because we all judge others' communication style by our own norm, women can be perceived as less competent and less confident due to a different communication style than that of men in leadership. Several communication differences between genders can further exacerbate the gender gap with the use of videoconferencing. The differences in communication between men and women include the following:
Objective
To perform a clinical and payer-based analysis of the value of dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) for workup of incidental abdominal findings.
Methods
This was a single-center, retrospectively designed, Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act–compliant study approved by our institutional review board. Sixty-nine examinations in 69 patients (45 men, 24 women; mean age, 57.7 years) who underwent single-phase postcontrast abdominal DECT studies between January 1, 2011, and December 31, 2017, were included. Two radiologists, blinded to study objective and design, reviewed all cases and identified incidental abdominal findings needing further imaging. All incidental findings were reviewed by 2 other investigators, who determined whether an imaging-based diagnosis could be made using DECT virtual noncontrast images and iodine maps. Additional studies and associated payer-reimbursement amounts avoided by use of DECT were estimated. All imaging costs were estimated based on the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reimbursement amounts.
Results
Thirty-four incidental findings (renal mass, n = 20; adrenal nodule, n = 8; pancreatic cystic lesions, n = 3; others, n = 3) were identified in 19 (27.5%) of 69 patients. Dual-energy computed tomography characterized 27 incidental findings in 15 patients and accounted for cost savings of 15 additional imaging examinations (abdominal magnetic resonance imaging, n = 11; abdominal computed tomography, n = 4). Based on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services reimbursement amounts, we estimated that, by abolishing the need for additional imaging use, DECT saved US $84.95 per patient.
Conclusions
Dual-energy computed tomography can provide an imaging-based diagnosis of incidental abdominal findings, otherwise incompletely characterized on routine abdominal computed tomography, in approximately 21% of patients. In select patients, the monetary savings from abolishing additional imaging may reduce payer costs associated with use of DECT.
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