When is screening for renal artery stenosis medically necessary?
After diabetes and hypertension, renal artery stenosis is the leading cause of kidney failure. Recent changes in the opinions of nephrologists and cardiologists, as well as new medical guidelines, are increasing doctors’ awareness of the need to screen for it. “Our aging population, especially older patients with cerebrovascular, cardiac, and peripheral arterial disease increases the frequency of renal artery stenosis,” said Dr. Skip Freedman, Executive Medical Director at AllMed Healthcare Management (http://www.allmedmd.com), a leading Independent Review Organization (IRO). “Many doctors are uncertain about the best way to screen for the disease or which patients to screen.” As a result, doctors either unnecessarily screen patients or order expensive and unneeded medical tests. This unneeded screening can result in an increased number of false-positive results. Following up on them often means invasive testing. These extra tests have both an inherent risk and increase the cost of tre
After diabetes and hypertension, renal artery stenosis is the leading cause of kidney failure. Recent changes in the opinions of nephrologists and cardiologists, as well as new medical guidelines, are increasing doctors’ awareness of the need to screen for it. “Our aging population, especially older patients with cerebrovascular, cardiac, and peripheral arterial disease increases the frequency of renal artery stenosis,” said Dr. Skip Freedman, Executive Medical Director at AllMed Healthcare Management (http://www.allmedmd.com), a leading Independent Review Organization (IRO). “Many doctors are uncertain about the best way to screen for the disease or which patients to screen.” As a result, doctors either unnecessarily screen patients or order expensive and unneeded medical tests. This unneeded screening can result in an increased number of false-positive results. Following up on them often means invasive testing. These extra tests have both an inherent risk and increase the cost of tre
