Facility Management

Radiologists order just 5.3 percent of high-cost imaging examinations, according to a study published online on Nov. 14 in the journal Radiology.

In this podcast, Tom Gentile, president and CEO at GE Healthcare Systems, explains that “the whole focus of imaging is moving beyond the quality of the image.” Patient care, physician productivity and reimbursement take on a renewed focus in light of healthcare reform efforts internationally, he says.

Medical imaging managers reported low confidence that reimbursement rates will improve and that funding for capital purchase for equipment and IT will be available in the fourth quarter of 2011 (October to December).

Radiologists and imaging groups should discuss with their IT vendors the plans and strategies for certifying their technology under the federal meaningful use program, said Keith Dreyer, DO, PhD, vice chair of radiology informatics at Massachusetts General Hospital, speaking Thursday at the American College of Radiology’s inaugural Imaging Informatics Summit in Washington, D.C.

OK, so saving the planet’s not quite as simple as turning off your computer. But radiologists can cut electricity use and save their practices money with judicious use of a workstation’s and monitor’s “off” switch when wrapping up for the day. That’s according to common sense - as well as a study in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

If you’ve seen fewer and fewer physicians referring patients to your center for imaging services over the past five years, you’re not alone. The decline is a nationwide trend, and many industry consultants believe that to fortify your bottom line, you must go on the offensive.

Nonradiologist physicians with a financial interest in imaging means were as much as 49 percent more likely to order imaging as those with no financial interest, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

What opinion do others have about you today? Have you ever solicited feedback from colleagues or can you honestly take stock in adjectives that accurately reflect who you are?

Prior authorization programs to control medical imaging utilization could wind up costing the government money and increase administrative burden, according to a review by The Moran Company released this week by the Access to Medical Imaging Coalition.

Nearly a quarter of radiologists use smartphones and mobile devices in their medical practice, according to a recent report from physician recruitment firm Jackson & Coker. Do you?

The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association plan unveiled last week that touches on advanced imaging services has industry leaders up-in-arms, calling for Congress to leave plan-of-care decisions between doctors and their patients.

Diagnostic Imaging spoke with Dr. Johnsey Leef III, a radiologist with Charleston Area Medical Center in Charleston, WV, about how the industry is responding to the call for lower dose imaging and what his department is doing to address the issue.

Diagnostic Imaging reached out to Taylor Moorehead, regional partner, West region at Zotec Partners, a medical billing, practice management, and Radiology Information Systems software company, to discuss the impact of Radiology Benefit Managers and technology aimed at helping practices deal with the demands.

Virtual Radiologic’s 2010 purchase of NightHawk, a national teleradiology practice, has come at a cost, at least short-term, according to research from KLAS.

Social networking in healthcare isn’t new, but there is a growing trend to create groups focused on particular specialty areas. And radiology is in the middle of it all, with networks bringing together physicians and technologists alike.

In the fourth of a four-part series, Medical Management Professionals Inc.'s Jeff Fowler gives advice on selecting a revenue cycle management partner.

In this third of a four-part series, Medical Management Professionals Inc.'s Randal Roat and David Myrice discuss how practices can prepare for changes in the industry.

H.R. 3032, the “Medicare Access to Radiology Care Act of 2011,” would amend the Social Security Act to recognize radiologist assistants as non-physician providers of healthcare services to Medicare beneficiaries.

Researchers found that residents who attend conferences that focus on missed or misinterpreted cases are 67 percent less likely to miss important findings when reading on-call musculoskeletal X-ray images, according to a study in the American Journal of Roentgenology .

In the second of a four-part series, Medical Management Professionals Inc.'s David Stone talks about the impact of HIPAA 5010 and ICD-10 on practices and how to prepare.

The MICI, sponsored by The MarkeTechGroup LLC and AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management, is an online survey of radiology department managers that assesses confidence in regard to costs, revenues, purchasing and growth.

The American College of Radiology opposes a new Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) proposal to cut reimbursement rates 5.9 percent for radiologists, radiation oncologist and other physicians for each of the next three years.

In the first of a four-part series, Medical Management Professionals Inc.'s Jana Landreth discusses effective metrics for measuring practice revenue and the single biggest cause for lost revenue.

Radiography job vacancy rates have fallen for the eighth year in a row, and now stand at just 2 percent, according to a new American Society for Radiologic Technologists survey.

The ACR called on CMS to scrap proposed payment cuts in the Medicare Fee Schedule Rule for 2012, saying the reduction is “scientifically unfounded, based on flawed assumptions and may limit patients’ ability to receive efficient care.”

RSNA Image Share, the network designed to help patients take control of their medical images and reports, has enrolled its first patients, Radiological Society of North America officials said. The network was designed to facilitate access to imaging exams for patients and physicians, potentially reducing unnecessary examinations, minimizing patient radiation exposure, and enabling better informed medical decisions.