Medicare spent too much money on imaging in 2008, paying a total of $38 million in erroneous claims for the interpretation of CT, MRI, and x-ray studies performed at hospital emergency departments, says a report issued by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG).

Hologic, Inc. yesterday announced that it has received U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance to incorporate the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) Whole Body Reference Data into its Discovery dual x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) systems. These body composition values are useful to healthcare professionals in their

The American Hospital Association (AHA) has publicly said its constituents are “deeply disappointed” by a proposed rule for fiscal 2012 issued Tuesday by the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). Effective for discharges occurring on or after October 1, 2011, the proposed rule would decrease average inpatient payments to acute-care

The Imaging e-Ordering Coalition is urging the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) to abandon its recommendation that practitioners who order high levels of imaging be required to obtain prior authorization. An alliance of providers, companies, and associations whose ranks include the American College of Radiology (ACR), the coalition

Successful integration of CDs into PACS has the potential to reduce the number of imaging studies performed in hospital emergency departments, according to a two-part study conducted at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston and published in the May issue of Radiology.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week announced the launch of Partners for Patients, a new program aimed at eliminating medical errors and reducing healthcare costs on a national scale.

Using a bone suppression application with chest x-rays significantly increases the detection of lung nodules proven to be primary lung cancer, according to a peer-reviewed study funded by Riverain Medical, a provider of computer-aided detection (CAD) and advanced visualization technologies.

Unfunded federal mandates, the elimination of Medicare payment for physician consultations, and incompatible and inconsistent quality initiatives offer a roadmap for the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) to make strategic changes that benefit the entire Medicare system, according to a letter sent to CMS by the American Medical