There are very important differences between packaged services and bundled services. Unfortunately, many people use these terms interchangeably, which may result in incorrect coding practices (and, potentially, in lost revenue for the organization).

Negotiating higher reimbursement is nearly always possible, according to Penny Noyes, president and CEO, Health Business Navigators, Bowling Green, Ky. She presented Payor Contracts: Strategies to Analyze and Negotiate Improved Payor Reimbursement on October 21, 2008, in San Diego, at the annual conference of the Medical Group Management

Few federal rules for billing and leasing of diagnostic testing equipment and technicians by mobile testing companies will require the restructuring or unwinding of many imaging arrangements prior to the end of 2008. In its payment policies under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2009, published November 19, 2008¹,

Armed with a master’s degree in health administration from Ohio State, Patricia Whelan, MHA, went to work for Ohio State Medical Center in 1993. In 1997, she completed her two-year postgraduate fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and took a position as business systems consultant in the department of radiology.

I was recently speaking with a client of mine who had spent about eight years growing his diagnostic imaging company. He had built up significant equity in the business and was concerned that capital gains rates may increase dramatically in 2009. In addition, he was eyeing some acquisition targets that would tuck in nicely with his current centers.

The forces driving mergers and acquisitions in imaging will only intensify, according to the presenters of Legal and Regulatory Issues Facing Outpatient Imaging Centers, which they gave at Beyond, the Third Annual GE Healthcare Outpatient Imaging Center Conference, in Washington, DC. On July 24, 2008, a three-session presentation emphasizing the

Compression of images is not an alien concept in radiology. From radiography to CT, large image files transmitted between physicians’ offices or stored over the long term often undergo some kind of compression. Mammography—one of the last modalities to go digital—remains behind the curve, however. Can mammographic images be compressed while

It is not a completely fair analogy, but the differing agendas of payors and providers place receivable processing in something of a battle zone. The payors seek to limit payments to no more than absolutely necessary to cover the contractual benefits of their beneficiaries. They put up a gauntlet of compliance rules to ensure that the providers