Diagnostic Follow-up of Positive Results on Low-Dose Computed Tomography Screening in the Medicare Population.

Summary: When older adults get a lung scan that shows a possible problem, doctors need to do more tests to check for cancer. This study looked at over 64,000 Medicare patients who had a positive scan. It found that about 60% of people got the exact follow-up tests that experts recommend. However, about one-third of people got fewer tests than they should have. The good news is that very few people who didn't have cancer had to go through painful or invasive procedures. So, while doctors are doing a good job avoiding unnecessary surgeries, they need to make sure everyone gets the right follow-up tests.