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Overuse of Chest CT Scans: The Massachusetts Story

Double scanning CT patients: Beth Israel Hospital in Needham is nearly three times the national average, according to The Times
Double scanning CT patients: Beth Israel Hospital in Needham is nearly three times the national average, according to The Times

The excellent interactive map accompanying the story allows you to search by state to see whether your favorite hospital is double scanning. In Massachusetts, according to the The Times map, most of the hospitals are well below the national average for double scanning, which is 5.4%. That is all but one: in 2008, at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Needham, 16% of chest CT scan patients (203 patients in total) were scanned twice in the same day.

This program aired on June 20, 2011. The audio for this program is not available.

Headshot of Rachel Zimmerman

Rachel Zimmerman Reporter
Rachel Zimmerman previously reported on health and the intersection of health and business for WBUR. She is working on a memoir about rebuilding her family after her husband’s suicide. 

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