USARAD.com may have tapped into an under-appreciated market need judging by local media reaction to its recently launched website that lets patients pay directly for a second opinion on their radiology reports and images

Recruitment and retention of the right physicians is one of the most critical practice-building activities in which radiology groups engage, but misconceptions and missteps abound. While the market for new radiologists is less tight than in recent years, practices must exercise caution to ensure they are hiring the right staff members—and must avoid attrition by developing strategies and procedures for effective physician retention.

Consistent with the observed trends affecting our national health-care market, the diagnostic-imaging industry has been acutely affected by the forces of consolidation. The number of transactions involving diagnostic-imaging centers has grown consistently over the past five years. Most recently, transactions involving the formation of joint-venture arrangements between health systems and large companies operating multiple freestanding imaging centers have become popular.

The federal meaningful-use program has, at last estimate, garnered the participation of 4,500 radiology professionals, and incentive payments of nearly $1.5 billion are still on the table for eligible diagnostic-imaging professionals. Groups that begin the attestation process by October 3, 2013, of this year can receive up to $39,000 per eligible provider, and as adoption grows among their referring-physician bases, more and more radiology practices are expected to participate as well.

Just when you thought you had a grip on every potential threat to your imaging business, a new one emerges. A June Wall Street Journal article highlights the latest issue being faced by hospitals, in particular: the infection of medical devices, including imaging equipment, by malware. These viruses can expose patient information to outside parties, violating HIPAA regulations; worse, they can compromise patient safety by making equipment malfunction.

Repealing SGR-formula mandated cuts to Medicare payments is something the ACR has long supported, but many questions remain in the draft legislation that keeps the College from giving it its full support, writes ACR Board of Chancellors Chairman, Paul H. Ellenbogen, MD, FACR

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) Research and Education Foundation has announced that it will fund 85 grants totaling more than $3 million this year

Foundation Radiology Group, a Pittsburgh-based practice that serves hospitals in the Northeast, Eastern Midwest and East Coast region of the United States, has obtained a $6 million credit from Square 1 Bank