Van Buren County Hospital serves as an anchor for nearly 8,000 residents, attending to all of their healthcare needs. To keep up with medical advancements as well as increasing federal healthcare regulations, healthcare facilities of all sizes are increasing investments in health IT to achieve more efficient operations, more coordinated care, better communication and ultimately, better patient health outcomes. 

Gonzales Healthcare Systems in Gonzales, Texas plays a vital role in the delivery of healthcare services to the surrounding communities and like larger, complex facilities, must strive to keep costs down while offering state-of-the-art medical technology. A 34-bed acute care hospital, Gonzales found McKesson’s medical imaging solutions flexible and scalable to suit a hospital of its size, helping Gonzales modernize the clinical care they offer to their patients.

The 2015 proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) are consistent with those from previous years, continuing to whittle away the revenue stream of radiologists. While the overall impact to radiology is estimated at two percent based on the current proposal, there are some notable changes proposed that may cause the impact to be significantly higher in certain situations.

As radiology struggles to find its footing in an emerging healthcare delivery paradigm that emphasizes collaboration and accountability, radiologist Rasu Shrestha, MD, finds himself at the center of the fray at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Penn., where he was recently named chief innovation officer and president, Technology Development Center.

Amidst increasing concern from patients, as well as increased publicity about the effects of radiation exposure, hospital systems like St. Joseph’s/Candler, serving Savannah and the four surrounding counties of Chatham, Effingham, Bryan and Liberty, in Georgia, are proactively developing system-wide initiatives that reflect their commitment to reduce patients’ radiation exposure.

While researching PACS back in 2001 for his imaging center in Burlington, Canada, Dr. Coventry Louisy was unimpressed with some of the corporate types with whom he met during the vetting process, but after his meeting with Vijay Ramanathan, he knew he’d not only found the right PACS, but he’d also found a true partner in RamSoft. Nearly twenty years later, Dr. Louisy continues to be impressed with RamSoft’s innovative technology and workflow solutions. 

As valuation professionals, we actively follow publicly traded companies in the healthcare industry.  These companies provide insight into how company management and investors evaluate the opportunities and risks faced by a particular industry.  Challenges in the diagnostic imaging business are not unique; nearly all ancillary healthcare service companies are experiencing similar macroeconomic headwinds. However, ancillary healthcare stocks have continued to demonstrate gains.  

Over the past 20 years, the radiology specialty has adapted well to increasing volumes, while maintaining a high caliber of service.  However, certain macro-trends are bringing change: the move to fee-for-value vs. fee-for-volume means radiologists must navigate a new and radically different healthcare payment environment, says Brian Baker, founder and CEO of Franklin, Tenn.-based health care research firm Carealytics.