Evens R G
Department of Radiology, Washington University Medical Center, St. Louis, MO 63110.
AJR Am J Roentgenol. 1989 Jul;153(1):179-83. doi: 10.2214/ajr.153.1.179.
Diagnostic imaging procedures and charges were analyzed for the most recent 15 years (1973-1988) and projected for 5 years in the future (1993) by using recent trends in a large, university-based radiology institute. During the 20 years, procedure volume doubles, total charges increase by a factor of 10 without adjusting for inflation and by a factor of three after adjusting for inflation. The major reason for the increase in charges is a change in the mix of procedures with increasing emphasis on new technology (CT, MR, sonography, and nuclear radiology) and interventional procedures. New technology and interventional procedures will change from 5% of total procedures in 1973 to a projected 27% in 1993. These more complex and more costly procedures have resulted in a considerably higher share of the charges for radiology and are projected to be responsible for 73% of a $109 million total charge by 1993. The charges for traditional radiology procedures have risen at approximately the inflation rate. These data document that the considerable benefit derived from new technology is associated with considerable cost and that new technology procedures are a major economic factor in modern diagnostic imaging.
利用一所大型大学附属放射学研究所的近期趋势，对最近15年（1973 - 1988年）的诊断成像程序及费用进行了分析，并对未来5年（1993年）进行了预测。在这20年中，检查数量翻倍，总费用在未考虑通货膨胀因素时增长了10倍，考虑通货膨胀因素后增长了3倍。费用增加的主要原因是检查组合的变化，对新技术（CT、MR、超声和核放射学）及介入性检查的重视程度不断提高。新技术和介入性检查将从1973年占总检查量的5%预计增至1993年的27%。这些更复杂、成本更高的检查导致放射学费用所占份额大幅提高，预计到1993年，在总计1.09亿美元的费用中，它们将占73%。传统放射学检查的费用大约以通货膨胀率上升。这些数据表明，新技术带来的巨大益处伴随着相当高的成本，而且新技术检查是现代诊断成像中的一个主要经济因素。
