Study Reveals Higher Imaging Use When Ordering Clinicians Interpret Their Own Imaging

Sept. 1, 2026— A new study from the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found that the odds of imaging following an office visit were 188% higher when ordering clinician self-interpreted the imaging they ordered versus referring interpretation to a radiologist. Practices that routinely referred imaging to a radiologist also demonstrated lower imaging use following office visits. The study, based on 24.2 million Medicare office visits, was published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR).