By Mark Watts
What are we doing to promote growth in our outpatient imaging volume? We are looking for 5% growth this year? “Where will these patients come from?” you ask yourself. The answer might be in your prior reports. Using Natural Language processing AI to extract the “suggest follow up in …” could help you meet your organization’s growth goals.
I would point out that there is a new finding that states only a fraction of people at high risk for lung cancer are getting screened for the disease even though it kills more people in the United States than breast, colorectal and prostate cancers combined. New American Cancer Society guidelines will allow millions more to become eligible for regular scans that can detect tumors early enough to save lives.
With one important exception, the new guidelines echo existing recommendations from the highly influential U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. In 2021, the panel said people ages 50 to 80 who had smoked at least 20 “pack years” and were either still smoking or had quit within the last 15 years should be tested annually with a low-dose CT scan, a type of X-ray.
According to the new guidance released recently, even heavy smokers who quit 15 years ago or more should get the yearly scans.
Non-contrast CT scans are valuable diagnostic tools in various medical situations. They provide detailed cross-sectional images of internal structures without the use of contrast agents, making them faster and more convenient for certain clinical scenarios. Here are some common medical indications for non-contrast CT:
- Lung imaging: Non-contrast CT scans of the chest are utilized to evaluate lung nodules, lung infections and other pulmonary conditions. It is often employed in the diagnosis and follow-up of lung diseases.
- Trauma assessment: Non-contrast CT is often used in emergency settings to quickly assess traumatic injuries, especially in cases of head trauma (CT head without contrast) and skeletal injuries (e.g., fractures).
- Calcium scoring: Non-contrast CT is used for calcium scoring to assess the presence and extent of calcified plaques in coronary arteries. This is commonly employed to estimate the risk of coronary artery disease.
- Kidney stones: Non-contrast CT of the abdomen and pelvis is a preferred imaging modality for detecting and characterizing kidney stones. It provides high-resolution images, helping in accurate diagnosis and treatment planning.
- Abdominal imaging: Non-contrast CT of the abdomen is used to assess various abdominal conditions, including inflammatory bowel disease, gastrointestinal obstruction and evaluation of solid organs such as the liver and spleen.
- Musculoskeletal imaging: Non-contrast CT is employed for assessing bone structures and joints in conditions such as fractures, arthritis and other musculoskeletal disorders.
- Sinus and skull base evaluation: Non-contrast CT of the sinuses is commonly used to evaluate sinusitis, nasal obstruction and other conditions affecting the nasal and sinus passages.
- Follow-up studies: Non-contrast CT may be used for follow-up studies to monitor the progression or resolution of certain conditions, such as stable pulmonary nodules, renal cysts or bone fractures.
- Brain imaging: Non-contrast CT of the head is frequently used to assess acute neurological conditions, such as hemorrhage, stroke or traumatic brain injury.
- Monitoring chronic conditions: Non-contrast CT can be used for monitoring chronic conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), where changes in lung density can be assessed.
It’s important to note that while non-contrast CT scans are advantageous in certain scenarios, contrast-enhanced CT scans may be required in situations where vascular structures, organ perfusion or specific tissue characteristics need to be evaluated in more detail. The choice of imaging modality depends on the clinical indication and the information required for diagnosis and treatment planning.
Imaging growth is important for every health care leader. We have to find it to fix it. Non-contrast CT exams could be your path to volume growth with the help of Natural Language processing AI.
Mark Watts is an experienced imaging professional who founded an AI company called Zenlike.ai.
