The mission of the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute® is to establish foundational evidence for health policy and radiology practice that promotes the effective and efficient use of health care resources and improves patient care.
A new study from HPI found that practices that perform both imaging scans and interpretation services were 17% less likely to close than practices that do not own imaging scanners. The study, based on 30,625 practice-years over the 2008-2021 period, was published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Read More
A new commentary from the. Neiman Institute challenges a recent claim that declining imaging use has allowed the United States to meet imaging demand without increasing the number of radiologists. The Institute argues that the claim — made in a 2026 JAMA Health Forum article — relies on outdated utilization data and overlooks a growing body of evidence showing increasing imaging volume and complexity, rising radiologist workload and worsening capacity constraints. Read More
A new study from the HPI found that both practice-level and radiologist-level IR specialization are associated with increasing procedural complexity, and nurse practitioners and physician assistants, through the provision of evaluation and management services, contributed to increased procedural complexity to the interventional radiologists they support. This practice-level analysis was published in JACR. Read More
A new study published in JACR found that an artificial intelligence algorithm can meaningfully enhance brain aneurysm detection when used alongside radiologists. The findings provide important real-world evidence supporting AI as a clinical assistive tool for brain aneurysm detection. Read More
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the adoption of shorter-course radiation therapy for women with early-stage breast cancer, leading to reduced treatment burden and lower healthcare spending, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Clinical Oncology. Read More
A new study from the Neiman 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 JACR. Read More
A new HPI study reveals a substantial decline in DXA testing among Medicare beneficiaries that was greatest in certain underserved groups. The findings raise concerns about missed opportunities to diagnose osteoporosis and prevent fractures and associated costs. The study analyzed nearly two decades of Medicare claims data from more than 5 million beneficiaries and found that use of DXA fell by 35% over the study period. Read More
