Cardiologists in the U.S. expect to use fewer imaging modalities per patient case in the future, according to a report released by market research firm IMV Medical Information Division.

Although post-imaging use of cardiac catheterization and medical therapy increased in proportion to the degree of abnormality findings, noninvasive testing had only a modest impact on clinical management of patients referred for clinical testing, according to the SPARC trial published in the Jan. 31 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

CHICAGO—Due to changes in CPT coding and fee schedules that have reduced reimbursement for stress tests and coronary CT angiography (CCTA) in the 2009 through 2011 Medicare fee schedules, triage strategies that begin with stress EKG or stress echocardiography and progress to CCTA (if the stress test is positive) represent the least expensive options, and are more cost-effective relative to strategies that utilize myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, according to a study presented Nov. 30 at the 97th annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Researchers suggested links between cardiac CT triage and three key benefits—fewer invasive catheterizations, improved survival and reduced costs—in a simulation model of the clinical and economic outcomes of low-risk patients with acute chest pain in the emergency department, according to a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.