The 2005 Robert D. Moreton Lecture: The Inappropriate Utilization of Imaging Through Self-Referral

Self-referral in diagnostic imaging has adverse consequences for our health care system. It inevitably leads to overutilization. If untrained physicians try to interpret images, they will make avoidable errors. Imaging facilities operated by untrained physicians are more likely to produce poor-quality examinations. These statements are backed up by abundant evidence in the medical literature. Major payers such as Medicare and the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association are aware of the problem. There are a number of possible remedies, and it remains to be seen whether they and other payers will adopt them.