Economic motivation could underlie some ordering of imaging tests

A new study by researchers at Institute for Technology Assessment in Massachusetts General Hospital's (MGH) Department of Radiology finds that  physicians who consistently refer patients to themselves or members of their  own specialty for imaging studies, rather than to radiologists, are more  likely to order such studies for a variety of medical conditions.  The  results suggest that economic motivation could underlie some of the excess  referrals.

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