Facility Management

Imulux, a pioneer in optical coherence tomography, showcased its FDA-cleared technology, Niris, at the World Congress of Endourology in Cleveland last week. Unlike other optical imaging tools that focus on the breast or brain, Niris renders images of the prostate. The system achieves a spatial resolution of 0.01 mm, which is well beyond the reach of diagnostic ultrasound.

A new government report claims access to mammography services is adequate nationwide, though troubling barriers persist in some parts of the country, particularly rural areas. But a representative from the American College of Radiology says the report is actually a wake-up call about the potential for a crisis in access unless action is taken to boost the supply of mammography personnel.

Fears of a death spiral in procedure reimbursement for outpatient imaging clinics eased a bit last week with the decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services not to impose an additional 25% reduction in fees starting next year on technical payment for certain multiple imaging procedures. CMS, which sets policy for Medicare, imposed this year a 25% reduction in reimbursement for the second and subsequent images of contiguous body parts when taken in a single session. An additional 25% reduction (totaling 50%) was set to happen in 2007.

The National Oncologic PET Registry has warned PET providers that paying referring physicians to participate in its program may violate federal and state anti-kickback laws.

Only yesterday, PET was the talk of the town, and outpatient centers were clamoring to get their hands on it. I remember that day vividly and can recall the resources needed to get an outpatient PET center off the ground.

In the first study in its kind, Japanese researchers have shown that MR imaging before and after contrast medium injection provides an accurate evaluation of articular cartilage repair. The technique could become an effective way to monitor treatment in this setting.

Agfa cracks Chinese PACS marketXR markers take path less traveledImaging center reopens with MR upgradesAmicas lands GPO dealNeurostar names CFO

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has decided not to impose an additional 25% reduction next year on technical payment for certain multiple imaging procedures. But physician reimbursement will be cut across-the-board by more than 5%, according to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed rule for 2007 published yesterday in the Federal Register.

The prospects for reimbursement of coronary CT angiography procedures improved dramatically in 2006. About 75% of the country sees some Medicare reimbursement for the procedure, and experts predict that nationwide reimbursement will emerge by 2008 at the latest.

Demand drops for low-field scanners follows measures introduced to preserve MR quality

Efforts from clinical imaging advocates to delay rather than thwart the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 were rewarded in the Senate Thursday with the introduction of a bill calling for a two-year moratorium. The piece mirrors legislation introduced in June by the House of Representatives asking the Government Accountability Office to analyze the impact of Medicare reimbursement cuts.

The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 has created quite a stir in medical imaging. If the current provisions remain intact, outpatient imaging providers could see a 45% reduction in Medicare reimbursement next year.

MR spectroscopy imaging is highly accurate for early detection of prostate cancer in asymptomatic patients, with 87% sensitivity and 93% specificity, according to new research from Spain.

By combining microcoils with the injection of a foaming agent, U.S. interventional radiologists hope to treat testicular atrophy in young boys, reverse infertility in some men, and relieve a potentially disabling condition in women.

Complications in children's interventions cost hundreds of millions of dollars each year

Most 3T MR systems are sold to university hospitals and research facilities, and relatively few go to private practices.

Early adopters educate insurers about value of each component of fusion imaging

A cost-effectiveness study performed by Thomas Jefferson University researchers indicates cardiac CT angiography makes financial sense in nonemergent cases if the price is appropriate.

MI techniques recommend against unnecessary surgeries and monitor therapy

Pending changes to Medicare in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 call for nonhospital outpatient technical fee reimbursement to be the lesser amount of either the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) or the physician fee schedule.

Historians may look back on May 8, 2006, as a turning point in the history of molecular imaging. Before then, FDG-PET was chronically tangled in political problems that slowed its entry into the clinical mainstream.

The truce over cardiac CT between cardiologists and radiologists showed signs of strain last week at the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography meeting in Washington, DC, when several radiologists charged that the endorsement of clinical guidelines by the society favored cardiologists.

The imaging community pleaded with Congress July 18 to delay cuts in Medicare reimbursement mandated by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 and scheduled to take effect Jan. 1, 2007. Representatives of providers and vendors presented testimony extolling the virtues of imaging and bewailing the legislation that could exact as much as $8 billion from Medicare reimbursements annually.

Various representatives of the imaging community got a chance yesterday to plead their case before Congress for a two-year delay on Medicare reimbursement cuts slated to take effect Jan. 1, 2007.

Volumetric MR scanning can accurately track structural changes preceding the onset of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease, according to a study by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. MR could sound the alarm on disease progression earlier than standard blood and urine tests.

Primedix Health Systems has signed a definitive merger agreement to acquire Radiologix. If the deal, valued at $208 million (including net debt) goes through, it will create the largest owner and operator of fixed-site outpatient imaging centers in the U.S. with 132 locations. Primedex owns and operates 62 facilities. Radiologix owns or operates 70.

The government surprised a few imagers with a change in Medicare reimbursement that was not as draconian as expected.

Few diseases pose as many diagnostic challenges as ovarian cancer. Unlike other gynecologic cancers, in which patients can present with tell-tale conditions while the disease is still at an early stage, two-thirds of ovarian cancer cases are advanced when first detected. Identifying postsurgical recurrence is also difficult. According to several studies presented at the 2005 RSNA meeting, PET/CT may have an important role to play in detecting and evaluating this silent killer.

A cost-effectiveness study by Thomas Jefferson University researchers indicates cardiac CT angiography makes financial sense in nonemergent cases if the price is appropriate.

In this issue, legal columnist Thomas Greeson wades squarely into one of radiology's hottest topics today: cardiac CT overreads by radiologists. Under such scenarios, cardiologists interpret images of the heart and related vessels and leave the rest of the chest to radiologists. These marriages of convenience are strongly promoted in some quarters as avoiding destructive turf battles and assuring that patients get the best possible care following a chest CT scan.