Evaluating the Costs of IR in Health Care Delivery: Proceedings from a Society of Interventional Radiology Research Consensus Panel

CIRSE Clinical Practice Manual

“…From a payer perspective, IR has the potential to save costs [ 43 ]. Firstly, minimally invasive IR procedures are often more cost-effective than their surgical alternatives, for example, liver tumour ablation versus liver resection [ 44 ] or port-placement, which was found to be significantly more cost-efficient if performed in an IR-suite than in an operation room [ 45 ].…”

“…Thirdly, minimally invasive IR procedures may lead to faster recovery times (e.g. uterine fibroid embolisation vs. surgical hysterectomy) and thus reduce public health costs [ 43 ]. However, this may look different from a hospital perspective, as surgical procedures often provide better revenue.…”

The Economic Footprint of Interventional Radiology in the United States: Implications for Systems Development

“…Growth in inpatient hospital costs is the biggest driver of rising health care expenditure [12], and between 2007 and 2014, hospital prices for inpatient care grew by 42%, markedly more than the growth in physician prices [12]. Image-guided, minimally invasive procedures, per se, provide cost-effective, high-value care [1,4,13]. IR procedures, used as a substitute for or in addition to surgery, offer cost savings by decreasing the total cost of therapy and reducing LOS [1,3,4].…”

“…As end users of advanced technology, imaging, and large capital investments, interventional radiologists could evaluate the burden of proof and opine on the value added from these additional costs [14]. IR serves as the bedrock for decreasing waste in the system by delivering cost-effective and efficient care by reducing labor, nonlabor (expendables), and overhead expenses [1,13]. By increasing availability, IR can decrease overall LOS, especially in resource-and cost-intensive areas such as intensive care units [3,4].…”

Medicare Physician Fee Schedule 2020: IR Practice Economic Health and Strategies to Mitigate the Undervaluing of IR Services

“…Decreases in interventional radiology (IR) remuneration are expected and compounded by the drastic decline in hospital and clinic visits amidst the current 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, potentially jeopardizing patient care. Familiarity with the cause of these expected cuts is crucial to efficiently advocate for our specialty (2). In this letter, we review the primary model of physician payment, discuss current policies affecting IR practice, demonstrate the economic impact on a sample from an outpatient IR clinic, and support effective advocacy strategies to curtail Medicare payment cuts.…”