Justin Robert Newman MD, Presenter: Nothing to Disclose

Arindam Rano Chatterjee MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

Richard Duszak MD, Abstract Co-Author: Nothing to Disclose

To evaluate 15-year national trends in percutaneous kidney and liver biopsy and the roles of various specialties who perform these procedures.

Medicare Physician Supplier Procedure Summary master files from 1993 through 2008 were analyzed for Current Procedural Terminology codes for percutaneous kidney and liver biopsy. Using physician specialty code data, procedure volumes were extracted for radiologists, surgeons, primary care physicians for both procedures, and nephrologists and gastroenterologists for kidney and liver biopsy, respectively. Unidentifiable and all other specialties were aggregated. Relative changes were calculated for all groups.

Between 1993 and 2008, percutaneous kidney biopsies performed on fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries increased 56%, and liver biopsies increased 34%. Services by radiologists increased 168% and 103% respectively, while services by all other specialist groups remained relatively flat or declined. For kidney biopsies, radiologist and nephrologists shares changed from 36% and 34% in 1993 to 62% and 23% in 2008, respectively. For liver biopsies, radiologist and gastroenterologist procedure shares changed respectively from 55% and 23% to 84% and 8%.

Over the last 15 years, the proportion of percutaneous kidney and liver biopsies performed by radiologists on Medicare beneficiaries has greatly increased. Radiologists are currently the dominant provider of both service.

Over the past 15 years, radiologists have become the dominant providers of percutaneous biopsy of both kidney and liver.

Newman, J, Chatterjee, A, Duszak, R, Percutaneous Liver and Kidney Biopsies: Who's Really Doing Them?.  Radiological Society of North America 2010 Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, November 28 - December 3, 2010 ,Chicago IL. http://archive.rsna.org/2010/9009157.html