The ratings agency contends RadNet is constrained by its geographic concentration in 11 states and high fixed costs, including sizable interest expenses.
A pilot program to use artificial intelligence to approve or deny traditional Medicare claims is currently active in six states. If successful, an amendment from the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee would block its expansion.
The grand jury indicted two individuals for their alleged roles in a scheme to steal data on Medicare patients and re-sell that information for a premium to nefarious actors for the purpose of siphoning funds from the program. One of the individuals is accused of photographing patient records to obtain names, dates of birth and other personal information.
Though these treatments are typically done with assistance from real-time fluoroscopy, there is ample evidence nuclear imaging may offer more benefits.
Last month saw the release of research showing a small but nontrivial number of physicians quit the job soon after completing residency training. Now comes a separate study suggesting the reasons for the phenomenon are often deep, diffuse and knotty—and thus difficult to address in a strictly programmatic way.
“Analyzing the AI scores of screened individuals over time could provide insight into how early detectable changes arise, potentially allowing for earlier intervention," researchers write in Radiology.
