Imaging Utilization and Cost of Substance Use in an Urban Academic Medical Center During the Contemporary Opioid Epidemic.

RATIONALE AND OBJECTIVES: To determine the recent impact of illicit substance use on imaging utilization and associated costs. METHODS: Retrospective study from an inner city urban multi-site academic medical center. Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval was obtained with a waiver of informed consent. A substance use cohort comprised patients 12 years old presenting to the Emergency Department (ED) January 2017 to June 2019 with a positive urine toxicology and an ICD code associated with substance use. The comparison cohort was randomly selected from a group of ED patients who presented with no or negative urine toxicology and no documented substance use ICD code. Data extracted from the EMR included demographics, number and type of imaging studies, Charlson comorbidity index, and in-hospital mortality during the study period. RESULTS: The substance use and comparison cohorts comprised 3191 and 3200 patients, respectively. The substance use cohort was older on average (mean age 45.67 ± 14.88 vs 43.91 ± 20.57 years), more often male (63% [2026/3191] vs. 39% [1255/3200]) and had a mean Charlson score 88% higher than the comparison cohort (3.33 vs 1.78). The majority of both cohorts were ethnic minorities (<10% white). The substance use cohort had significantly more imaging vs the comparison cohort, total 36,413 (mean 11.41 exams/patient) vs total 12,399 (mean 3.87 exams/patient), p < 0.0001, and was higher for all modalities except mammography. Average imaging costs per patient were nearly 300% higher for the substance use vs comparison cohort, ($1287.18 vs. $434.70). CONCLUSION: Imaging utilization and associated costs were substantially higher for patients with a positive urine toxicology and substance use related ICD codes compared to the broader ED population in an underserved urban population.

Health Systems Science - A Primer for Radiologists.

Health systems science (HSS) is an educational framework designed to promote improved care through enhanced citizenship and the training of systems-fluent individuals trained in the science of health care delivery.  HSS education in residency builds upon foundations established during medical school, emphasizing practical skills development, and fostering a growth mindset among trainees.  The HSS framework organizes elements of system-based practice for radiology trainees, promoting practice-readiness for providing safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable and patient centered radiological care. This paper serves as a primer for radiologists to understand and apply the HSS framework. Additionally, we highlight radiology-specific curricular elements aligned with the HSS framework, and provide teaching resources both for classroom education and for resident self-study.

Fibroepithelial Lesion Spectrum: A Case Report Documenting a Possible Transformation to a Malignant Phyllodes Tumor.

We discuss the radiological-pathological aspects of a rare case of transformation of a presumed fibroadenoma (FA) to a malignant phyllodes tumor (PT) and review the literature. Phyllodes tumors often show heterogeneous histologic features with some areas indistinguishable on core needle biopsy. A core biopsy is often a small representation of a larger lesion. As such, a complete excisional biopsy is often needed for a definitive pathologic diagnosis. Careful clinical and imaging correlation and follow-up are necessary, even in a benign fibroepithelial lesion (FEL).