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.

Strategies for Managing Payment From Self-after Patients

MMP

Thanks to the June 28 Supreme Court decision, one problem that radiology practices might not face for much longer is managing payment from uninsured patients—an issue that currently plagues hospital-based groups, in particular, according to Krista Pelensky, director of operations with Medical Management Professionals (MMP). “Many hospital-based

Collaborative Care: Radiologists’ Involvement in Real-time Diagnosis

One trend, in medicine, is for primary-care and specialty physicians to use ultrasound—and, perhaps, other imaging modalities—in their practices. From my perspective (and with 20 years of experience as an imaging and hospital administrator and consultant, US medicine is evolving away from fee-for-service reimbursement and toward outcomes-based

Radiology’s Role in Changing the Culture of Medicine

Well, it happened: In a surprise ruling, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of health-care reform by interpreting the individual mandate as a tax. The full decision is well worth reading, but the upshot is that starting in 2015, our already beleaguered—some would say broken—health-care system will take on up to 30 million additional

Radiation Oncologists Hit Hard by Proposed MPFS Changes, ASTRO President Speaks Out

Radiologists have much to dislike in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed changes to the 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS), and they are not alone. Radiation oncologists would be hit with a 15% reduction in payment for services, says the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). Almost half of that cut is

FDA User Fee Signed Into Law

President Obama on Monday signed the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act, which makes it easier for the FDA to approve and fast-track new drugs and medical devices to market, and bolsters the FDA’s oversight of safety issues.

ACR Partners with NDSC on Computerized Decision Support

The goal of getting ACR evidence-based imaging appropriateness criteria into the hand of more ordering physicians as they make their clinical decisions is another step closer. On Wednesday, the ACR announced an exclusive agreement with the National Decision Support Company (NDSC) to offer Appropriateness Criteria (AC) in digitally consumable format

PACS is Back, Says New Market Report

After three years of decline, the PACS market outlook is positive through 2017 says a new Frost & Sullivan report on the North American radiology image and information management systems market.

Most Payors Now Considering ACOs

More than 3 out of 4 leaders of payor organizations now say they are considering adoption of the ACO model, finds a new survey by HealthEdge, a provider of software platforms for healthcare payors.