The Impact of a Preauthorization Policy on the After-hours Utilization of Emergency Department Computed Tomography Imaging

CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates a trend toward increased utilization of CT resources after implementation of an ED preauthorization policy with most study types showing significantly increased utilization. In the case of neurological examinations, a potential "substitution effect" was observed, whereby the rates of neuroangiographic studies showed a marked increase, offsetting the decrease in general neurological examinations performed. Departments considering implementation of...