Circulation. Cardiovascular imaging
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Circ Cardiovasc Imaging · Jan 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialProvider-directed imaging stress testing reduces health care expenditures in lower-risk chest pain patients presenting to the emergency department.
Among intermediate- to high-risk patients with chest pain, we have shown that a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) stress test strategy implemented in an observation unit (OU) reduces 1-year health care costs compared with inpatient care. In this study, we compare 2 OU strategies to determine among lower-risk patients if a mandatory CMR stress test strategy was more effective than a physicians' ability to select a stress test modality. ⋯ URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00869245.