Business Intelligence

Providers utilize business intelligence to monitor referral patterns and collaborate with clinicians who order their services. Such analytics tools have also been deployed in the specialty to improve productivity, track patient satisfaction and bolster quality.

Medicare Advantage insurer accused of upcoding by a whistleblower settles False Claims Act lawsuit for $22.5M
Independence Blue Cross, the largest medical insurance provider in the Philadelphia area, does not admit to wrongdoing. It was accused in a lawsuit backed by the U.S. Department of Justice of misrepresenting the severity of patient illnesses to juice risk-adjusted Medicare payments.
Housing AI company hits $4B valuation as it expands into healthcare
With its $350M in new funding, EliseAI said it plans to build out its technology and sales force. It currently works with specialty provider groups to automate practice operations such as scheduling and insurance verification.
Rural cardiology practices struggle to fill vacancies
A new survey put a spotlight on the staffing issues rural cardiology practices and health systems face on a daily basis.
Some physicians not only avoid burnout but also find fulfillment. Here’s how they do it.
Of surveyed and interviewed U.S. physicians who showed significant six-month improvement in follow-up vs. baseline wellness checks, 47% attributed the gain to active personal changes. Not far behind were those who credited active work-related changes—40% of the field.
Mayo Clinic, Thermo Fisher Scientific launch new AI-supported diagnostics company
The new entity, Precure, will be owned by both groups. Its work in detecting early disease for timely intervention stems from a research project launched this summer. The Mayo Clinic said Precure will make the results of that initiative actionable.

The week’s top industry news bites: Installations & investments, signed contracts & strategic collaborations …

Radiology business developments that broke softly but may soon make waves:

Portable MRI found handy, useful—just not as a full-on replacement for its immovable cousin

Point-of-care MRI is a worthwhile diagnostic option for emergency departments and ICUs concerned about wait or transport times to access fixed MRI for patients with neuroimaging needs.

Number of new osteopathic radiologists far outpaces new allopathic radiologists

The differential could signal an increase in patient access, especially in rural areas and the Midwest.

GE out with next-gen X-ray machine

GE Healthcare introduced a new fixed radiography system Aug. 2, positioning it at the high end of the category and spotlighting its capabilities as the most advanced in its family.

Radiological field offers 3 of the 10 highest-paying associate degree options: ZDNet

Surveying the landscape of well-paying jobs in reach of individuals with two-year degrees, a popular technology-business news outlet has found three of the top 10 exist within the radiological sphere.

Google, NIH converge on Arkansas over medical AI education, advancement

Data scientists and software engineers at the University of Arkansas have been awarded more than $140,000 by the NIH to educate biomedical researchers on the growing role of AI in big-data analytics.

Imaging center owner/doctor charged with doing $1M-plus in fraudulent, risky-to-patients business

A state attorney general has indicted the physician owner of an imaging center for bribing colleagues to order unnecessary exams before performing the exams—including some with IV contrast—and submitting false claims to CMS.

For prostate cancer diagnostics, 7T MRI has next to nothing on ultrasound tomography

In an initial comparison study involving 10 patients with high-risk prostate cancer, ultrasound tomography (UT) soundly beat 7-Tesla multiparametric MRI on detection sensitivity, 85.7% to 65.3%.

Business Intelligence

Medicare Advantage insurer accused of upcoding by a whistleblower settles False Claims Act lawsuit for $22.5M

Housing AI company hits $4B valuation as it expands into healthcare

Rural cardiology practices struggle to fill vacancies

Some physicians not only avoid burnout but also find fulfillment. Here’s how they do it.

Mayo Clinic, Thermo Fisher Scientific launch new AI-supported diagnostics company