The question here is what is not necessary. Decisions of such are better left in the hands of the physician seeing the patient, otherwise how else do some hard to find problems get diagnosed? Back to square one with the doctor waiting for an approval to come through to continue with diagnosis and treatment plans. It sounds like it is back to the point of where nobody wants to foot the bill. 
What are the guidelines for Imaging I might ask and who determines whether they are needed or not. BD
Medicare has been trying to clamp down on burgeoning costs from medical imaging. But a new GAO report suggests the agency might have more success if it were to stop unnecessary CT scans, MRIs and the like before they happen in the first place.
To cut imaging costs, Medicare has been cutting certain physician payments, sifting through its data to spot improper claims, and educating medical practitioners about the issue. But the GAO’s suggestions for Medicare include weighing a front-end tactic that’s common in the private health-insurance market: prior authorization.
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