Recently altered CMS rules governing diagnostic-imaging supervision and interpretation agreements have created what one knowledgeable observer calls a horrible mess. Health-care attorney Tom Greeson, a partner in the law firm Reed Smith LLP of Falls Church, Virginia, expresses concern that regulatory changes that took effect earlier this year might

Here we are at the end of yet another tumultuous year in the health-care arena—perhaps one even more tumultuous than most. There are new laws, new expectations, revised plans, and lots more to write about as we face the consequences—intended and otherwise. Having just returned from the annual gathering of the imaging clan that is RSNA, I am pleased

Minnesota’s groundbreaking Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement (ICSI) has reached an agreement with Nuance, Burlington, Massachusetts, to license its decision-support and analytics software for a statewide electronic utilization management initiative to ensure delivery of clinically indicated high-tech diagnostic imaging. The statewide

A Montana radiologist has won a three-year legal battle and a $4 million breech-of-contract settlement from St James Healthcare, Butte, Montana, which revoked his hospital privileges and replaced him and two other practitioners with radiologists from Boston. Jesse Cole, MD, of Big Sky Imaging in Butte, also alleged that the hospital had damaged

While traditional closed MRI systems continue to offer a multitude of benefits, competition and a growing population of patients who cannot tolerate them make a closer look at alternative modalities warranted, according to Ronald F. Bernardi, FAHRA. He presented “Know Your Market to Grow Your Market” on August 24, 2010, at the annual meeting of

Arnold Schwarzenegger, California’s governor, signed a new radiation patient protection law in October 2010 that mandates strict procedures and reporting requirements for CT scanners and radiation-therapy procedures, as well as the reporting of radiation overdoses to the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH).

A relative newcomer amongst the ACR® data registries is the General Radiology Improvement Database (GRID) program. Part of the ACR’s National Radiology Data Registry, GRID’s focus is evidence-based health outcomes and process data; the program was launched as a pilot in 2008 and began official operation in 2009. Today, the GRID program has 23

When Bill Lawrence became CEO of Central Michigan Community Hospital (CMCH) in Mt Pleasant, in 2008, he began examining options for improving the hospital’s radiology services. Declining volumes, long turnaround times, and lack of specialization were among the issues that had led to increasing dissatisfaction with the hospital’s radiology services.