Vendor relationships can be tough, and many end in a heap of disappointments, unfulfilled expectations, and miscommunications. If your vendors didn’t deliver, is it your fault or theirs? What really went wrong? Can you fix it? These are million-dollar questions.

Replacing technology is always nerve-wracking, but it is particularly volatile when the systems being replaced are a PACS and a RIS, systems at the heart of daily function for radiology departments and hospitals.

On August 24, 2008, Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes, Ind, became the first site in the country to go live with integration between the Synapse PACS from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA Inc, Stamford, Conn, and the cardiovascular image and information system (CVIIS) from FUJIFILM's subsidiary, ProSolv Cardiovascular, Indianapolis. FUJIFILM first

As I read the cover story on radiology benefit managers (RBMs) in this month’s Diagnostic Imaging (DI) magazine, I ruminated on the (metaphorical) similarities between the mug shots of what the author described as imaging’s new decision makers (the five reigning RBM CEOs) and the ensemble cast of Kevin Spacey’s classic film of intrigue. Which of

When a customer walks in the door, Mark Schulein sees opportunities. The first opportunity is to create an experience so memorable that the customer will not only want to return, but will also be inspired enough to tell family and friends about the visit. Second, he sees numbers. For Schulein, each customer is a chance to apply a series of metrics

Organized radiology has been devoted to the self-referral issue for more than a decade. Early literature that documented increased physician referral rates for diagnostic imaging when there is a financial incentive led to the Stark laws in the 1990s. Entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and some medical specialties, however, have exploited

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