There’s little question that CT scans are on the rise, especially in the emergency department.

A recent paper from Radiology put a number to the increased frequency of the test, concluding,

CT, a radiology tool that once took nine days to finish, was used 16.2 million times in 2007 to diagnose headaches, stomach aches, back pain, chest pain and the like. That was a huge increase from 1995 when it was used 2.7 million times.

To anyone working in the medical profession, it’s hardly a surprise.

David Larson, author of the study, puts it this way: “Because it’s so widely available, because the images are so exquisite, there’s the temptation to use it for anything … we may be heading toward overutilization or inappropriate utilization.”

Heading toward overtuilization? I’d say we’re already there.

I’ve written several times on this blog that, in addition to the concerns about radiation, there is the real possibility that false positives and incidentilomas from CT scan findings need to be considered in the decision making process.

To many patients however, those arguments pale when compared to the reassurance provided by a negative scan.

Jeff Goldsmith, an author who provides a patient perspective,

says it’s different when you’re the one lying on the table with a stabbing pain in your gut. He has twice had CT scans for abdominal pain and says he was “grateful” the scan could diagnose his problem and lead to quick treatment.

And that’s the mentality prevailing in the American public. Instant gratification, when, in many cases, watchful waiting may suffice.

The rising use of CT scans, which each cost hundreds of dollars, is a strong driver in rising health costs.

But those dollars pale in comparison to the reassurance of a negative scan, which is priceless in the minds of patients.

Kevin Pho is an internal medicine physician and on the Board of Contributors at USA Today.  He is founder and editor of KevinMD.com, also on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and LinkedIn.