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.

Obama Budget Cuts $400 Billion in Health Care Spending

The budget includes money for a fix to the flawed SGR formula for calculating physician payments and recommends closing of the in-office ancillary services exception (IOASE) to the Stark self-referral law.

FDA Approves First Android Medical Image Viewer

Canada’s Calgary Scientific Inc has received FDA clearance to market their ResolutionMD™ software to diagnose medical images on Android devices

Viztek Adds Digital Breast Tomosynthesis Viewing

Viztek says it is now the first PACS vendor to provide viewing capabilities for digital breast tomosynthesis imaging and eliminate the need for a stand-alone viewing system

Tax Foundation Calls Medical Device Tax Bad Policy

The cost of the 2.3% excise tax on the manufacturers of medical devices will come out of money spent on research and development, and the pockets of patients, predicts the nonpartisan research organization

WSJ Highlights Progress and Challenges in Dose Reduction

The Wall Street Journal put a spotlight on radiologists’ and manufacturers’ efforts to minimize radiation from CT scanning

OIG, CMS Propose Expanding Anti-Kickback Safe Harbors to Speed EHR Adoption

Under Federal anti-kickback regulations, giving referring physicians software has long counted as a valuable gift that could induce improper referrals. Now the government is recognizing that this well intentioned regulation may be harming efforts to increase interoperability of electronic health records (EHRs)

Health Care Remains Up in Otherwise Weak Jobs Report

Health care employment rose by in March to 14,516,600 people, making it one of the few bright spots in the Bureau of Labor Statistics monthly jobs report

Department of Energy Lab Develops Way to Image Moving Subjects

The technology could allow brain imaging of patients such as infants, children or adults with conditions that make holding still without restraints and anesthesia difficult