Analysis of Appropriateness of Outpatient CT and MRI Referred From Primary Care Clinics at an Academic Medical Center: How Critical Is the Need for Improved Decision Support?

A high percentage of examinations not meeting appropriateness criteria and subsequently yielding negative results suggests a need for tools to help primary care physicians improve the quality of their imaging decision requests. In the current environment, which stresses cost containment and comparative effectiveness, traditional radiology benefit management tools are being challenged by clinical decision support, with an emphasis on provider education coupled with electronic order entry systems.