Gary Schwitzer has posted a quick item in his blog providing more detail about the financial benefits to physicians of "leasing" imaging services. For those who missed the article in the Wall Street Journal, Schwitzer's blog has a link and excerpts.

The net - a physician referring two MRIs per day would net over $120,00 annually.

What does this mean to you?

Hmmmmm, some perverse incentives to increase imaging utilization, perhaps? A more subtle way to cost-shift, to capture more income to offset lost income due to reduced Medicare reimbursement? Outright fraud? or all of the above?