I recently came across a study that questioned the cost- effectiveness of low-dose CT scans for lung cancer screening. As I’ve discussed before, there is sufficient and sound research validating that among high- risk individuals, low-dose lung cancer screening is a life saving process. However, this article claims that the medical imaging procedures may be too costly for the United States, “a nation struggling to control growing health care costs, even though some lives would be saved.”

This article clearly shows how charges relate to the execution of healthcare. At standard charges, screening CT of patient’s at high risk for lung cancer may not be cost effective. But, if these are regarded as add-on incremental cases and are priced at marginal cost (approximately $200), the screening equation may change and become financially viable from society’s prospective.

As with any screening program, the first caveat is to “do no harm” – hence an ultra-low dose CT technique would be advantageous. Similarly, figuring out how to keep the cost way down will be critical. I think we can….