Facility Management

GE’s Signa Ovation MR scanner is up and running at the Grossman Imaging Center in Oxnard, CA. The 0.35-tesla system was unveiled at the 2000 annual meeting of the RSNA. Ovation is designed to accommodate claustrophobic or larger patients. It

The worst fears of owners and vendors of coincidence cameras were confirmed on June 29, when the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) formally restricted reimbursement to selected types of nuclear medicine devices.Expanded PET applications

Interactive computer-based teaching programs can provide an effective way of training radiologists at their desks, according to experts in medical informatics. While medical education is often characterized by hours spent in lecture halls and costly

Propelled by a favorable reimbursement climate, the telemedicine market is on the move, attracting new vendors and users. Many newcomers represent teleradiology and PACS companies with Web-based products for image transmission and archiving.“The

US Oncology has boosted its number of PET facilities to seven with the opening of two new centers in Indianapolis and Austin. The Indianapolis facility will be US Oncology’s first mobile unit. The PET Imaging Center of Central Texas has opened at

In the most visible sign that big government is seeking a simpler (if not kinder) approach to reimbursement, Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson has come up with a new name for the Health Care Financing Administration. Out with the HCFA

Altaire has found a home. Hitachi Medical Systems has installed the first of its higher-field open Altaire scanners at Mission Regional Imaging Center in Mission Viejo, CA. Altaire, which delivers 22mT/m gradient amplitude and 55T/m/s slew rate, can

Specificity has long been the weak spot of computer-aided detection. Pattern-matching algorithms have traditionally marked everything suspicious, leading radiologists to complain that CAD systems did little more than redirect them to do a second read.CAD

Two House bills that call for an increase in screening mammography payments have picked up support on both sides of the aisle. The two measures, which propose raising the reimbursement rate from the current $69 to $90, are based on Senate bill 548,

The glamour technologies of imaging, MRI and CT, turned in stellar performances in 2000, pushing revenues in each market close to or beyond record levels. MRI sales in the U.S. topped more than a billion dollars for the second year in a row. Driving the

SonoSite unveiled SonoSite Plus and SonoHeart Plus on April 19, amid sobering news of the company’s financial state.The new versions of handheld ultrasound scanner SonoSite 180 and SonoHeart received FDA clearance in February and are expected to

The paths to Medicare reimbursement for dedicated PET and coincidence cameras have diverged and there appears to be no hope of reuniting them.As of July 1, Medicare will reimburse users of dedicated PET scanners for the diagnosis, staging, and restaging

Surgical biopsy rather than needle biopsy is performed more often than it should be. About this I have no doubt. Anecdotal evidence of professional and financial bias in favor of surgery has been supported by surveys demonstrating that up to 80% of women

Job Code: 736Department: RadiologyGrade: 130Title: PACS AdministratorDate: 2001 Scope of Position* Reporting in a line capacity to the senior manager, radiology computing and information sciences, the incumbent is responsible for leading the

Following the commercial release of OptiGo, Agilent is hoping cardiologists can be convinced to use its handheld ultrasound system in place of a stethoscope. Introduced March 19 at the annual American College of Cardiology meeting in Orlando, FL, the

Handheld ultrasound requires a leap of faith as much as it does technology. Intuitively, the idea seems brilliant: Shrink an ultrasound scanner so it can be worn on your belt, strapped to your shoulder, or carried by hand into places where ultrasound

Despite advances in radiology, the ultimate product -- the radiology report -- remains largely unchanged. Radiologists typically issue narrative descriptions of findings after image analysis, a labor-intensive and sometimes error-prone process.

Virtual fly-throughs have long been radiological vignettes—decorative designs skirting the border of clinical relevance. The movies, run back and forth, have entertained exhibit visitors for years. But Viatronix, a start-up workstation manufacturer

The gulf between payments for mammography and for MRI is narrowing. As reimbursement for these two converges and the technology advances, MRI may begin to challenge x-ray-based imaging as a primary breast screening modality.“Small MRI devices using

Vendors are increasingly emphasizing the development of devices that have proven clinical value. The reason is simple. These are the products that sell the best in a tight economic environment.The upside about developing such practical technology is that

It was billed as America's premier radiology network, offering the services of 300 radiologists from some of the most respected medical centers in the world: Bowman Gray, Emory, Brigham and Women's, Wake Forest, and UCSF. In the end, the big names could

TeleQuest, a teleradiology company that contracted with some of the nation’s most prestigious medical schools, has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. TeleQuest was formed in 1994 to establish a nationwide network of luminary sites that would

With Internet-based communication becoming increasingly commonplace, consumers are looking to make some medical interactions more convenient, according to a survey commissioned by iMcKesson and conducted by Harris Interactive and Aria

Concerns that the use and sale of contrast agents would suffer under ambulatory payment classifications (APCs) were put to rest in late December when then-president Clinton signed the Benefits Improvement and Protection Act of 2000.The legislation, which

In what is being heralded by advocates as a landmark victory, President Clinton has signed legislation that overcomes a number of critical barriers to broader implementation of telemedicine. The new law, which goes into effect Oct. 1, 2001,

By Robert BruceEven as R2 Technology's ImageChecker CAD mammography system seems to be catching on with radiologists and patients, the company is starting clinical trials on a CT lung cancer detection system it believes will be even more successful.GE

By Robert BruceRoyal Philips Electronics announced last week that it has agreed to acquire ADAC Laboratories for $426 million, or $18.50 a share of ADAC's outstanding common stock. The offer is subject to regulatory approval. It is good until Dec. 12 and

HIMSS invests in telehealth as e-health wrestles with futureFirst annual meeting highlights real-world appsAmid all the talk about e-health and the Internet's inevitable role in healthcare, telemedicine has been playing the tortoise to

Dilon Technologies announced the first purchase order for its small digital gamma camera. The camera, which uses technology developed by the Department of Energy, can provide high resolution and positioning flexibility for breast imaging.The Dilon 6800,

Proposals in Congress to increase payments for digital mammography procedures have led to a split between the American College of Radiology on one side and vendors and an advocacy group on the other.With Congress poised to adjourn this week, the