{"id":5877,"date":"2025-03-07T17:06:23","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T14:06:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/?p=5877"},"modified":"2025-03-07T17:06:23","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T14:06:23","slug":"why-cardiac-ct-adoption-remains-low-among-primary-care-providers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/why-cardiac-ct-adoption-remains-low-among-primary-care-providers\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Cardiac CT Adoption Remains Low Among Primary Care Providers"},"content":{"rendered":"
Why Cardiac CT Adoption Remains Low Among Primary Care Providers<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Published by: Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT) | Date: February 28, 2025<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Overview<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Despite the rapid advancements in coronary CT angiography (CCTA), primary care providers (PCPs) have been slow to adopt a CT-first approach in evaluating heart conditions. A recent editorial in the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT) explores the reasons behind this hesitation and suggests ways to encourage adoption.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The Rise of CCTA<\/div>\n
\u2022 CCTA has emerged as a noninvasive diagnostic tool for coronary artery disease (CAD).<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 It received a Class 1A recommendation from:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 The European Society of Cardiology (2019) for suspected CAD.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 The American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC) (2021) for acute chest pain.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 In late 2024, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) increased Medicare reimbursements for CCTA, improving financial viability for hospitals.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Challenges Preventing Adoption by Primary Care Providers<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The JCCT editorial identified six major barriers:<\/div>\n
1. Knowledge Gaps<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Many education efforts have targeted cardiologists, not PCPs.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 A survey found 57% of PCPs were unsure about patient selection for CCTA.<\/span><\/div>\n
2. Limited Scanner Availability<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 From 2007 to 2021, the number of CT scanners per million people in the U.S. increased only slightly from 34.3 to 42.6.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Many cardiology practices have shifted scanning to hospital outpatient departments due to higher reimbursement rates, making access more challenging.<\/span><\/div>\n
3. Radiation Concerns<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Some PCPs remain hesitant due to potential radiation exposure from CT imaging.<\/span><\/div>\n
4. Coverage Limitations<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Insurance and reimbursement policies may not always cover CCTA for all indications, leading PCPs to choose alternative tests like echocardiography.<\/span><\/div>\n
5. Radiology Benefits Management (RBM) and Prior Authorization (PA) Programs<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 These programs restrict test approvals and often create delays, inefficiencies, and medical errors.<\/span><\/div>\n
6. Long Wait Times<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 CCTA is often performed in outpatient imaging centers for higher reimbursement, but longer scheduling times may discourage PCPs from choosing it.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Potential Solutions: The Role of Medical Societies<\/div>\n
\u2022 The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and other organizations should:<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Educate PCPs on CCTA\u2019s benefits and appropriate use.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Advocate for policy changes to improve insurance coverage and reimbursement.<\/span><\/div>\n
\u2022 Improve patient education, as informed patients may request CCTA when appropriate.<\/span><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Conclusion<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
The adoption of CCTA by primary care providers remains low despite its proven benefits. By addressing knowledge gaps, improving accessibility, and refining insurance policies, the medical community can promote a CT-first approach, enhancing early detection and management of heart disease.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
For the full editorial, visit the Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT)<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
https:\/\/www.journalofcardiovascularct.com\/home<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Why Cardiac CT Adoption Remains Low Among Primary Care Providers Published by: Journal of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (JCCT) | Date: February 28, 2025 Overview Despite the rapid advancements in coronary CT angiography (CCTA), primary care providers (PCPs) have been slow to adopt a CT-first approach in evaluating heart conditions. A recent editorial in the Journal […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5877"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5878,"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5877\/revisions\/5878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jordan-cardiac.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}