When the time came to select new angiography equipment at Benefis Health System in Montana, Michael Eisenhauer, MD, named three attributes the new suite would have to deliver without compromise. Number 1 was image quality. Number 2 was image quality. Number 3? Say it one more time.

Now that hospitals and health systems are finally maximizing the electronic health record, AGFA HealthCare North America President Mark Burgess wants to make sure that they’re not missing out on another critical digital element of connected care: enterprise imaging, including the company’s breakthrough technology enabling the Imaging Health Network™. Think of it as meaningful use taking on the efficient management of medical imaging.

Change is on the horizon for cath labs all over the world as more and more interventional cardiologists are starting to use coronary CT angiography to plan and guide PCI procedures. Patients, physicians, catheterization labs and healthcare systems all stand to gain from this growing trend.

The radiologists at San Luis Diagnostic Center, a multimodality outpatient facility in California, are happy to do it all: mammography, CT scans, ultrasound, X-rays, MRI, and more. There’s one aspect of their radiology practice that they’re excited to hand off, however: billing and negotiations with third-party payers. Especially now that they’re sure they’re getting paid for all of their exams and interpretations, and at a market rate.

Identifying patients with severe aortic stenosis who could potentially benefit from transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) is very important—but managing and tracking them over time can be quite a challenge.

When the ACC and AHA collaborated on new valvular heart disease guidelines in 2020, the two groups highlighted the importance of interventional treatment options such as TAVR. However, an estimated one-third of patients with severe aortic stenosis in the U.S. still lack a guideline-recommended treatment plan.

Steve Jobs once famously said that you have to start with the customer experience and work backwards to the technology. I am a strong believer in this mantra as it serves imaging providers very well when we think of our radiologists as our “internal customers.” How can we create a better work experience? Where can we remove annoyances, eliminate distractions, or improve efficiency?  

Practicing in teleradiology is amazing, or it’s your worst nightmare.

How do I know? Because I’ve been in two telerad positions that couldn’t have been more different.