Apple used to push the world to “think different.” Today, the profession of radiology is being driven to think differentiation. And the impetus is issuing not from a single corporation, but rather from myriad market forces—from commoditization to consolidation to, perhaps most pressingly, ever-narrowing profit margins.

Through the exceptionally tight partnership of vRad Chief Medical Officer, Ben Strong, MD, and Chief Information Officer, Shannon Werb—explored in Part I of this interview—vRad has achieved a synergistic melding of those concepts that truly are driving clinical innovation, as evidenced by the discussion with Strong and Werb.

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. 

Mid-Atlantic Imaging Centers, which serves as the imaging provider for more than 70 physicians within Norfolk, Va.-based Mid-Atlantic Women’s Care, is going with Viztek for PACS.

While independence once held great value and autonomy, joint ventures (JVs) now allow radiology groups of all sizes to work smarter.

Why in the world would two radiology practices competing for business in the same market consider sharing market information, revealing operational and performance data and—most counterintuitively of all—combining forces and resources in a joint venture (JV)?

It’s been half a year since RadAnalytics last heard from Scott Luchs, MD, president of Ramapo Radiology Associates in New York State’s Hudson Valley.

As the healthcare industry continues to expand and implementation of federal mandates on the transition to electronic medical records continues, the role of information systems managers within healthcare operations is becoming understandably more influential.