As the trend of consolidation among imaging centers continues, RadNet, Inc (Los Angeles, California) is at the leading edge, having added 24 freestanding outpatient centers in 2010 alone. The company, founded in 1984, today owns and/or operates a network of more than 200 quality-oriented, cost-effective facilities, and it is poised to continue

On April 1, 2011, the DHHS released its proposed new rules for accountable-care organizations (ACOs), putting in motion provisions of the health-reform package aimed at improving patient care through better coordination among providers. With the ACO program set to launch in January 2012—following a period during which stakeholders can comment on

There are multiple factors that might lead a radiology group to consider restructuring, but the majority of changes to a group’s governance are prompted by breakdowns in communication. This issue becomes particularly prevalent as groups expand; a single-site, hospital-based group of radiologists is able to handle critical decision making in a

While I have used this space to discuss the impact of consolidation on the business of medical imaging, another indicator that the marketplace is maturing is the methodical erosion of profit margins in virtually every segment of the distribution of goods and services. I take that back: The insurance-company payors do not seem to be sharing as much

Image interpretation should remain a task solely for radiologists, who should utilize itemized reporting and standardized language to produce clear and unequivocal reports, according to results of two surveys published in the April edition of Radiology.

Hitachi Medical Systems America yesterday announced that it has received FDA clearance to market its SCENARIA ™ 64-slice CT system in the U.S.

Congresswoman Jackie Speier (D-CA) earlier this week reintroduced to the U.S. House of Representatives the Integrity in Medicare Advance Diagnostic Imaging Act of 2011 (HR 1476), which seeks to close the in-office ancillary service exception (IOASE) for advanced imaging services such as MR, CT and PET. Congressman Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was an

President Barack Obama yesterday outlined his plan for reducing the federal deficit and cutting Medicare costs, noting that unlike the GOP plan, his would "use a scalpel, not the machete.”