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.

OIG to CMS: Sharper Eye on Hospitals a Must

Medicare must exercise much more stringent oversight of hospitals, according to a report issued today by the Office of Inspector General (OIG), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Supercommittee Faces Challenges in Slashing Health Care Expenditures

The congressional supercommittee responsible for finding an additional $1.2 trillion worth of health care expenditures to eliminate from the federal deficit by Thanksgiving will experience significant challenges in getting the job done, reveals a perspective authored by researchers at the Center for Studying Health System Change (HSC) and published

EHRs Gain Ground With Patients, But Resistance Remains

Some 56 million U.S. consumers have accessed their medical information on an electronic health record (EHR) system maintained by their physician, and an additional 41 million are interested in doing so.

JACR & HHS: Radiology Can Be Greener

Although manufacturers of diagnostic imaging scanners and computer systems are arguably among the leaders in developing energy-efficient products, radiologists themselves can play a role in making the delivery of health care more environmentally friendly say both an HHS report and a JACR study published this week.

Proposed Rule Would Limit Multi-Procedure Payment Reductions

A rule that strikes back against imaging cuts advocated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) was introduced last week in the U.S. House of Representatives by Reps. Pete Olson (R-TX) and Betty McCollum (D-MN).

Foundation Files Brief in ACA Case

The California Endowment, a private, statewide health foundation, last week filed a “friend of the court” brief, offering relevant facts, case studies, and informative research to the Supreme Court of the United States as it decides whether to hear a case regarding the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Royal Philips Taps Into North American Mammography Market

Royal Philips Electronics has entered the North American mammography market with the introduction of MicroDose Mammography, a full-field digital mammography (FFDM) solution. The solution is said to administer a lower dose of radiation compared to other FFDM systems, without compromising image quality.

JAMA Finding Lends Support to Using Chest CT for Lung Cancer Screening

Hospital-based radiology departments that began offering discounted chest CTs to current and ex-smokers who could pay cash for the procedure may have been right. New research published in JAMA indicates that the standard insurance-covered annual chest x-rays do little if anything to actually reduce lung cancer death rates.