For 2012, CMS proposed a reduction in the cost-of-capital (or interest-rate) assumption used in the development of the cost-of-equipment estimates that are included in the practice-expense component of the RVU calculations. Historically, CMS has used an interest-rate assumption of 11%. Based on the current prime rate and maximum interest rates for

Cloud-based technologies have been relatively slow to penetrate the health-care IT market, but several advances in technology—as well as federal programs that encourage the adoption of interoperable solutions—are changing that, according to Vijay Ramanathan, CEO and cofounder of RamSoft Inc. “The biggest trend that is driving cloud computing, in

You know how good it feels. You finally did the right trade and now own Boardwalk and Park Place. Everyone who has the misfortune of landing on your block of expensive property pays through the roof, and you smile all the way to the bank. It is great fun owning a monopoly—unless, of course, you have those pesky regulators at your back, asking

Canopy Partners announced that Randolph Hospital in Asheboro is joining the company’s growing regional database of archived radiology images. Diagnostic tests performed at the hospital will now be more readily accessible to thousands of area physicians.

Advocate Health Care, the largest integrated health care system in the state of Illinois, and GE Healthcare, announced a joint effort to reduce radiation dose in Computed Tomography (CT). The goal is to optimize care for patients and reduce radiation without adversely impacting image quality. It’s one of the first announcements of the GE Blueprint

DR Systems announced that e|HR Meaningful Use for Medical Imaging, a cloud-based ambulatory EHR for radiologists, is now commercially available after successful beta testing.

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) is the largest healthcare convention in the US, according to the Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association annual list of the 50 largest US medical meetings in 2011. RSNA regained the top spot with reported a total attendance of 59,097.

Officials at the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) hope a 16-page letter to CMS will help reverse a proposed 15% reduction in payment for radiation oncology services. CMS floated the decrease in late July as part of the 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS).