This article is the first in a four-part series on options for integrating imaging centers and hospitals.

Community hospitals have a unique set of needs when it comes to imaging. Though they also once faced a corresponding set of challenges, advances in telecommunications have, to some degree, leveled the playing field, enabling them to provide radiology services on par with those of their larger peers. ImagingBiz.com spoke with David Harrison, RT, MBA

The sale or trading in of legacy equipment is a critical aspect of the acquisition of new imaging technology, providing facilities with capital and/or leverage to help offset the cost of the new device. Properly readying used equipment for sale, however, is an often-overlooked component of the process, according to Doug Fischer, CEO of Imaging

While RIS and PACS have become indispensable components of the electronic health record (EHR), they also pose risks to patient security and data integrity. These risks can range in scope from blaster worms to the curious technologist to just plain carelessness, and steps must be taken to secure the personally identifiable information contained in

A health care provider that is too intent on protecting personally identifiable patient information could take patient privacy beyond the level that is optimal for patient care. At the Children’s Hospital (Denver, Colorado), however, Chris Goodale, radiology data systems administrator, prevented this problem by limiting access to radiology

Imaging information is becoming increasingly mobile: For evidence, look no further than the FDA’s recent approval of an app for the iPod, iPhone, and iPad that allows diagnostic use of MRI, CT, PET, and SPECT exams. With increased connectivity, however, comes an increase in vulnerability. Under pressure to protect all patient health information or

Aging imaging equipment presents a counterintuitive conundrum for facilities: even as a CT or MR system becomes less and less clinically relevant, lacking the features and power of newer models, it becomes more expensive to own and maintain. “In order for imaging equipment to be effective, it has to be utilized,” says Doug Fischer, CEO of Imaging

Comparative-effectiveness research has become the platform for several organizations, including the Institute for Clinical and Economic Review (ICER). Based at the Institute for Technology Assessment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, ICER’s mission is to lead comparative-effectiveness–research innovation through methods that the