Doctors at University based hospitals don't see the need for it, but double chest CT scans done the same day, one with, one without, contrast media in the blood, are done and billed to the federal Medicare program with abandon in the would be secessionist, tax hating, deficit decrying,  overwhelmingly Republican State of Texas.

A quick check of Texas on the NYT interactive map, shows over 55 Texas hospitals that over scan (and bill Medicare) at rates above 30%, many are over 50% and some even over 70% on double scans.  The teaching hospitals run by Baylor University and the University of Texas have lower double CT scan rates below 15%.

With at least 56 Texas hospitals (rough count on the map) reporting to Medicare a rate of 30% or more patients being double CT chest scanned it seems Texas doctors and hospital administrators take full advantage of billing every dime they can out of the federal Medicare program, or in all likelihood, private insurance too. Each chest CT scan is the equivalent of 350 chest x-rays, who would want an unnecessary extra 350 chest x-rays, do these doc's really believe the patients need them? Texas has one of the most restrictive malpractice laws in the country, so the extra scans can't be due to threats of lawsuits.

NYT:

UNC healthcare, in Chapel Hill, N.C., performed nearly 2,000 scans in 2008 and none were doubles. “I would be very surprised as to why that would occur,” said Dr. Paul L. Molina, the hospital’s executive vice chairman of radiology. “Someone’s got to educate me as to why they see the need to do both.”