AHS working to bring down unnecessary use of MRI and CT scans

A provincial initiative to reduce unwarranted MRI and CT scans has met with some success, but more work needs to be done to curb rising wait times for the expensive diagnostic tests, Alberta Health Services says.
Efforts that began three years ago have so far resulted in a 12 per cent drop in magnetic resonance imaging scans for the lumbar spine and lower back, Mauro Chies, vice-president of clinical support services, said Friday.
“We made a good gain in terms of reducing the number of ord