Excess Greenhouse Gas Emissions Linked to Inappropriate Imaging
FRIDAY, April 11, 2025 -- Substantial excess greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions result from inappropriate imaging such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT), according to a study published online March 27 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Gregory Cavanagh, M.D., from Lahey Hospital & Medical Center in Burlington, Massachusetts, and colleagues estimated excess GHG emissions associated with inappropriate imaging in metric kilotons (kT) of carbon dioxide equivalents (CO2e) from the Medicare Part B population. Low-end and high-end estimates of average yearly GHG emissions from inappropriate examinations were modeled for MRI, CT, radiography, and ultrasound.
The researchers noted that 4 to 26 percent of all imaging was estimated as inappropriate. During the entire five-year period, total inappropriate Medicare imaging examinations were estimated to have produced an average of 3.55 to 129.2 kT CO2e per year, with MRI and CT accounting for the greatest proportion (0.621 to 33.8 kT and 1.24 to 64.8 kT, respectively); 3.55 to 129.2 kT CO2e approximated to the GHG produced by the annual electricity of a town of 2,000 to 72,000 people.
“Increasing adherence to appropriateness criteria using clinical decision support software or an incentive program are two examples of concrete actions to encourage appropriate image ordering,” the authors write.
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