A doctor argues that we need to focus more on preventative care approaches, rather than just scans.
Now offered by private companies in over a dozen U.S. cities, the scans commonly rely on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), supported by artificial intelligence, to assess major organs for hidden disease. The scans, which are not covered by health insurance, take about an hour. They are then reviewed by radiologists before results and suggested next steps are shared with the customer.
Yet, according to Healthy People 2030 — a federal initiative to increase rates of preventive health care — only 5.3% of adults ages 35 and older in the United States received all recommended high-priority clinical preventive services in 2020, the last year for which numbers are available. That’s down from 8.5% in 2015.