Changes in the Use and Costs of Diagnostic Imaging Among Medicare Beneficiaries With Cancer, 1999-2006

Abstract

Imaging costs among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer increased from 1999 through 2006, outpacing the rate of increase in total costs among Medicare beneficiaries with cancer.

PET/CT for staging lung cancer: costly or cost-saving?

“…In our own study comprising 172 patients with an initial diagnosis of NSCLC, the ICER was in a similar range as reported by Søgaard et al (3,810 € per patient correctly staged as resectable vs non-resectable) [13]. In addition, a cost-utility analysis was performed.…”

“…However, if PET/CT is also cost-effective when integrated into routine diagnostic algorithms has never been demonstrated. In lung cancer, noninvasive imaging modalities contribute to only a small proportion of total health care costs (∼5-6%) [3]. However, given the limited resources of health care systems, evidence for economic efficiency of novel diagnostic tools or therapeutics will become more relevant in the near future.…”

The High Cost of Cancer Drugs and What We Can Do About It

“…29 However, the costs of health care are not increasing only in pharmaceuticals but in many areas, including hospitalizations and imaging. 30,31 In addition, many pharmaceutical companies have been generous in providing medications at low or no cost to qualifying patients. The cost of care is a systemwide problem that includes many participants, including health care professionals, device manufacturers, and medical supply manufacturers.…”

The Value of Diagnostic Medical Imaging

“…The cost of medical imaging-especially that of sophisticated imaging studies-has grown faster than overall inflation of medical costs; it has also grown faster than overall inflation of gross domestic product growth or worker wages [4,5]. To know whether this expense is worthwhile, we need to know whether medical imaging improves health outcomes and whether the value of those improvements exceeds the economic costs.…”