Hospitals and imaging centers across the U.S. must now collect and share data on CT scan radiation levels under new Medicare regulations, a move aimed at improving patient safety and reducing cancer risks associated with excessive radiation exposure, NBC News reported.
Hospitals and imaging centers nationwide are facing new federal requirements to monitor and report radiation levels from CT scans under updated Medicare regulations that took effect in January. The changes, which will be phased in over the next three years, are intended to enhance patient safety by addressing inconsistencies in radiation doses and reducing unnecessary exposure.
Rebecca Smith-Bindman, a professor at the University of California-San Francisco medical school, has spent years researching the potential cancer risks associated with CT scans. She and her colleagues have advocated for stricter oversight, arguing that radiation doses from these scans vary widely and are often excessively high.
“It’s unfathomable,” Smith-Bindman said. “We keep doing more and more CTs, and the doses keep going up.”
CT scans are vital diagnostic tools, helping doctors identify life-threatening conditions such as cancer and aneurysms. However, experts have long expressed concerns about radiation exposure, particularly for patients who undergo multiple scans over their lifetime. Research published in 2009 estimated that CT scans could be responsible for 2% of cancers, a number that may be even higher today due to increased scan usage.
Each year, about 93 million CT scans are performed in the U.S., with more than half involving patients over 60, according to medical market research firm IMV. Despite the high volume, there has been little regulation over how much radiation patients receive during these procedures. Smith-Bindman noted that radiation doses can vary tenfold for the same type of scan, with some institutions displaying even greater discrepancies.
The new regulations from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) aim to address this issue by requiring hospitals and imaging providers to track and assess radiation doses, scan quality, and the necessity of each procedure. While compliance is not mandatory immediately, providers that fail to meet requirements could face Medicare reimbursement penalties starting in 2027.
The changes have drawn both support and criticism. The Leapfrog Group, a hospital safety watchdog, praised the regulations. “Radiation exposure is a very serious patient safety issue, so we commend CMS for focusing on CT scans,” said Leah Binder, the organization’s president and CEO.
However, the American College of Radiology (ACR) and other medical imaging associations initially opposed the rules, arguing in 2023 that they would impose excessive burdens on providers and potentially raise scan costs.
Concerns were also raised about requiring a proprietary software tool for data collection. Since then, CMS has allowed additional vendors to participate, and ACR has engaged in discussions with Alara Imaging, one of the companies providing the necessary compliance software.
Despite the debate, some experts see the regulations as a step toward safer imaging practices.
Max Wintermark, a neuroradiologist at MD Anderson Cancer Center, said “I think the measures will help accelerate the transition towards always lower and lower doses. They are helpful.”