According to CMS's latest attestation data, some 4,720 unique diagnostic radiologists have at least one year of participation in Stage 1 or Stage 2 Meaningful Use under their belts. This cohort has made around 9,000 unique attestations since 2011, showing quantifiable and clinically significant use of certified EHR technology.

Imaging Specialists of Charleston, a radiologist-owned, full-service medical imaging center in a South Carolina suburb faces stiff competition in its region, specifically from a trio of hospital-based imaging providers.

Secure Direct Messaging capabilities have become must-have components for many if not most users of RIS and PACS. While Meaningful Use’s requirements around the technology have spurred much of the adoption, Direct Messaging has grown in popularity by its own merits.

Riverside Radiology and Interventional Associates (RRIA), Columbus, Ohio, was an early pioneer in the transition from analog to digital radiology, and radiologist Peter Lafferty, MD, vividly recalls his first encounter with the interpretation of digital images in the late ‘90s.

When working at a high volume breast imaging provider, radiologists can’t afford speed bumps. But hiccups in workflow are inevitable when a radiologist is forced to constantly switch between different workstations, each with their own interfaces and controls.

Earlier this year vRad and San Diego-based XIFIN (pronounced zy-fin) began closely collaborating on an online workflow that will offer referring physicians a one-stop fusion of all diagnostic reports—from radiology, pathology and clinical labs.

Radiology provides critical value in the diagnostic process. However, significant changes in healthcare now require the specialty to think creatively about how to provide additional value beyond interpretation, including transparency into quality and economic performance. 

Speech recognition software is at the top of the wish list, if not in the active purchasing plans, for 272 healthcare providers shopping for or in the process of buying imaging IT products in eight countries of northern Europe.