Association Between Imaging Scans and Shorter Hospital Stays

Imaging techniques such as computed tomography (CT) scans and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) might shorten the length of an individual's hospital stay and decrease the high costs associated with hospitalization if used early, according to a recent study.

Inpatient costs represent 18% of total health care insurance premiums paid, and they continue to grow approximately 8% annually,” said Juan Carlos Batlle, M.D., MBA, lead author of the study. "The stable growth of hospital costs despite marked increases in imaging costs has led to the observation that the increased use of modern imaging has been associated with a decrease in other costs of hospitalization, such as length of stay, which our study seeks to demonstrate,” said Dr. Batlle.

The study, performed at Massachusetts General Hospital (Boston, MA, USA), included 10,005 hospital admissions that included at least one advanced imaging study during the period from one day prior to admission through discharge. "Results showed that in comparison the length of stay was significantly shorter for those imaged on the day before or day of admission vs. day one or two for all admissions of at least three days,” stated Dr. Batlle.

The mean length of stay for abdominal CT exams was 8.4 days vs. 9.7 days and for neurologic MRI exams, it was 7.6 days vs. 8.7 days. "In terms of cost, given that an average cost of a hospital stay is [US]$2,129 per day, the estimated decrease in cost for one-year period analyzed in this study associated with an average one day reduction in length of stay is $2,129 per admission,” said Dr. Batlle.

The study's findings were published in the April 2010 issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. "Early imaging with CT and MRI, particularly on the day before or the day of admission is associated with significantly shorter length of stay of inpatients compared with patients who had advanced imaging performed later. Although the study design does not establish cause and effect, our results suggest that early imaging could expedite inpatient care and discharge in certain types of patients, but they do not imply that automatic ordering of imaging should replace clinical judgment,” concluded Dr. Batlle.

Related Links:
Massachusetts General Hospital