Hawaii Medical Service Association has taken a lot of heat lately for its change in protocol on imaging tests, now requiring third-party pre-approval for all routine diagnostic scans. In order to probe its reported high usage rate, executives said, the waivers from these approvals have been suspended.

However, the state’s biggest health insurer now has underscored that the waivers are only on temporary hiatus for many providers and will be restored to them. When? Officials variously have put it in terms of months, or have been indefinite with the time frame.

In order to see that the promise is kept, patients and doctors surely will be giving HMSA a scan, too.