TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Cost-Effectiveness of Nuclear Cardiology A1 - Phillips, Lawrence M. A1 - Xie, Joe X. A1 - Shaw, Leslee J. A2 - Heller, Gary V. A2 - Hendel, Robert C. PY - 2017 T2 - Nuclear Cardiology: Practical Applications, 3e AB - Nuclear cardiology in its over 40 years of use has grown to one of the most utilized and performed medical procedures in the United States, with cardiovascular imaging tests frequently being listed among the top 200 Medicare expenditures.1–3 As nuclear cardiology has blossomed into an over $1 billion per year industry, increased attention and scrutiny have been given to this testing approach, particularly with cost-effectiveness playing a more central role. This has been seen in several different ways. Appropriate use criteria (AUC) have become mainstream tools in providing decision-making support as to whether or not a test or procedure is indicated based on evidence combined with expert consensus opinion.4–6 This has contributed to a downtrend in the number of nuclear stress tests performed annually over the last decade (Fig. 20-1).7 In addition, in an era with continued technological advancements in each of the cardiac imaging modalities, clinicians often have multiple testing options that can be performed for a particular patient prompting a decision process that necessitates the evaluation of cost-effectiveness.6,8 SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/29 UR - accesscardiology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1145444403 ER -