When Atlanta-based The Radiology Group was founded in 2006, it looked like a traditional private radiology practice, albeit a family affair. Anand Lalaji, MD, a musculoskeletal radiologist, his wife Tejal Lalaji, MD (a neuroradiologist and breast imager) and his father-in-law Mahendra Patel, MD, (a body imager) grew the practice over the subsequent three years into a thriving enterprise with multiple hospital and imaging center clients in Northeast Georgia. 

Contrary to the recent technical reimbursement cuts this year, which have negatively impacted diagnostic imaging operators, professional reimbursement for the same CPT codes have experienced a stable to slight decline; although, in some instances there was an increase. Modalities such as Computed Tomography (“CT”) and Magnetic Resonance Imaging (“MRI”) experienced technical reimbursement declines between 1 percent and 45 percent. For many freestanding imaging operators relying heavily on governmental payors, without an increase in volume and/or expense reductions, the technical reimbursement declines directly impact the operating earnings of the business. 

Serving the community of upstate New York’s Capital Region, Adirondack Radiology Associates (ARA) recently expanded patients’ access to state-of-the-art, high-field open bore MR imaging technology, replacing two systems, an older low-field open system and a closed 1.5T system, with the Hitachi Oasis high-field open MR at their Saratoga Imaging Center. Since the installation, ARA has experienced an increase in procedure volumes and patient satisfaction as well a reduction in costs. 

Radiology business managers help practices thrive in our challenging health care climate. They possess a level of sophisticated business experience sought out by radiologists who are being forced to take time away from patient care to attend to the business responsibilities of the practice. However, a business manager who steps in to handle these duties and alleviate the pressure on physicians still needs to approach them to obtain buy-in on various major practice decisions. The larger the practice, the more daunting this task can appear. David Myrice, director of practice management for Zotec Partners, walks us through the important steps in obtaining radiologist buy-in on important practice decisions.

Radiology’s new normal is an ongoing perfect storm of business pressures. Faced with the constant need to navigate swim-or-sink waters roiled by bundled payments, pay for performance and other models of financial risk-sharing—not to mention declining reimbursement, increased regulatory oversight and transparency on pricing and quality—forward-thinking practices are partnering with their competitors in new joint venture (JV) models.

As diagnostic imaging becomes even more complex, so, too, does the business of running a hospital. Margins are low, competition is high and hospitals are consolidating just to survive. Next-generation imaging solutions are emerging to take the industry to the next level. Industry visionaries have coined the term PACS 3.0 to describe the system of the future with patient-centric data and the fulfillment of anytime, anywhere access. But these visionaries have put the industry on notice that PACS 3.0 simply can’t be achieved without the ability to scale and interoperate with other systems. The burning question in the industry should be: how do we get from here to there?

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.