Allowing physicians, whether they are referrers or outside specialists, access to an outpatient radiology practice’s PACS is a subject that is being discussed with increasing frequency among CIOs.

In 2002, Norwalk Radiology—like many radiology practices across the nation—reached a crossroads. Prepare to invest in expensive new digital mammography technology or stop doing mammograms. In fact, more mammography centers in the U.S. closed than opened between 2001 and 2004, but in Norwalk, Conn, practice president Allan Richman, MD, rightly

As the medical imaging industry is well aware, the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 (DRA), effective January 1, 2007, directed severe reductions in payments for many imaging services in the physician office and independent facility setting. Under the DRA, the payment for the technical component (e.g., equipment, non-physician personnel, supplies, and

The outpatient imaging enterprises of Premiere Health Partners, Dayton, Ohio, and Robinson Memorial Hospital, Ravenna, Ohio, could not be more different. The three-hospital health system, for instance, opened 6 imaging centers within nine months and partnered with three radiology practices. The county hospital went solo, with one imaging center and

After enlightening attendees about the new players in the outpatient imaging field, and educating them on where the growth potential exists, Michael Silver, PhD, read outpatient radiology the riot act in the concluding segment of his talk: “You have to know your market,” advised Silver, vice president, Sg2, the Skokie, Ill-based health care

Scott Arant, CEO of American Health Imaging (AHI), a 20-center chain based in Decatur, Ga, started operations in June of 1998 in Decatur, Ga, an eastside suburb of Atlanta, with an open MRI, as did many other entrepreneurs around the nation. The facility flourished in short time, and AHI sold a portion of the company to private investors to further

This is the time of year when the Nobel prizes are handed out and that started me thinking about chaos theory and how the concept translates into our own profession’s mind-boggling array of alternative outcomes based on various approaches to the problems being presented, especially in today’s outpatient world. Competitive pressures, reimbursement

The PACS has come a long way since its inception, enabling communications among all imaging stakeholders in a hospital or health system. But what is the large radiology practice to do that works in a heterogeneous environment, with multiple information and dictation systems, and a centralized reading model?