Things are a bit complicated in healthcare, to say the least. Whether it's additional regulations, a competitive market or changing patient demographics, care delivery is becoming more complex every year.

A full year has gone by since 425-bed Northridge Hospital Medical Center in Los Angeles went live with a new enterprise-wide EMR solution from Cerner.

It was a gutsy move even by the standards of the borough that is home to the New York Yankees, the birthplace of hip-hop, and the largest zoo in the East: At just 23 years old, with no direct experience in healthcare, Joel Reisman decided to dive into the deep end of the outpatient medical imaging business in the Bronx.

Radiology and cardiology departments have long produced significant imaging volumes, but the volumes of imaging exams performed in other specialties are now easily surpassing that amount.

Consolidation and change are roiling the healthcare marketplace, and the repercussions are being felt throughout the vendor landscape, including the vibrant imaging IT segment that is so fundamental to the practice of 21st century radiology.

For all its high-tech gadgets, tools, prompts, aids and reminders, the modern radiology report really isn’t all that different from the first of its kind, rendered as a longhand note.

Those who think PACS optimization ends following a successful implementation should think again: Thirteen years after Portland, Ore.-based Legacy Health implemented Synapse PACS, the work is ongoing to keep 50-plus radiologists happy and maximally productive.

When the merger and acquisition frenzy catches up to your organization, will it cause headaches for your imaging workflows?