More than 150,000 CT scans billed at up to $1,500 each were given to people in the United States last year adding a large sum to the already pricey $2.2 trillion national healthcare bill.  With the U.S. spending approximately twice the average of other countries on healthcare it seems natural to ask, were these CT scans necessary?  A news article released by the New York Times weighs the costs and benefits of these machines as seen in the field of cardiology.

CT scanners, costing $1 million, are currently found in over 1,000 hospitals and 100 private cardiology practices.  With a pay off of approximately 3,000 tests, doctors across the country may be using these machines indiscriminately in order to reach this amount.  For some cardiologists, the fees for the service are accounting for half or more of their incomes.  Little is known about the CT scan's safety because it has not been researched extensively.  It is known, however, that the tests do increase your lifetime risk of cancer.  Last June the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services threatened non-payment if further studies on the efficacy of these scans were not performed. 

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