Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

MGMA warns of government overreach in the proposed 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule
The Medical Group Management Association shares concerns about the draft fee schedule published in July. A major concern is the government possibly changing how RVUs are set, rather than allowing the medical specialty representatives to have a say.
Median medical school debt among radiology-bound graduates is $200,000
This figure fell by 19.4% in 2024, from a peak indebtedness of $237,600 as of 2015, researchers wrote Thursday.
3 key questions about private equity’s impact on radiology
“Some radiologists harbor deepening concerns about these trends, including moral distress," two members of the specialty write in JACR.
House lawmakers criticize Medicare pay model targeting ‘wasteful’ interventional radiology services
CMS is seeking to cut unnecessary use of certain IR services in Medicare, such as image-guided decompression of the spine, epidural steroid injections and percutaneous vertebral augmentation.
Cook Medical hopes new iMRI division could be ‘game changer’ for interventional radiology
The Bloomington, Indiana-based vendor is betting big on MRI's use in image-guided care, touting its ability to cut radiation exposure while bolstering precision.

Radiologists produce imitation PET scans via routine CT imaging

“With further tuning and validation, this pipeline may potentially add value in cancer screening, staging, diagnosis and prognosis," experts wrote in Cell Reports Medicine.

Judge denies radiology group’s attempt to dismiss lawsuit over $177M sale of the practice

Technologist Robert Harrison and his attorneys filed the complaint in 2021, charging that shareholders grossly overpaid in the deal, among other contentions

hospital chief financial officer pain points

Hospitals’ fiscal ‘pain points’ topped by revenue cycle management, labor costs, workforce shortages

Healthcare CFOs spend more time dealing with cost management and, by extension, operational issues than any other single set of items on their to-do lists.

ACC.24 to make the business side of cardiology a priority

While the American College of Cardiology's annual meeting has historically had a more clinical focus, presentations at this year's conference in Atlanta will spend much more time looking at the business side of things.

Medicare will now cover weight loss drug semaglutide if taken for heart benefits

The news represents a meaningful policy shift for CMS. In the past, Medicare prescription drug plans have not covered medications designed to help patients lose weight.

Powering down interventional imaging systems saves tens of thousands in electricity costs

Making the hypothetical adjustment of switching all idle systems to off overnight and on weekends would save one hospital about $38,000.

scale money prices shopping transparency reimbursement dollar coins

Nearly 15% of claims submitted to private payers are initially denied

Private payers eventually overturned more than half of denials, with the claims paid, but only after “multiple, costly rounds of provider appeals.”

Going green in the cath lab makes economic sense

New research explored the potential savings of turning off angiography systems at night and on weekends.

Economics

MGMA warns of government overreach in the proposed 2026 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule

Median medical school debt among radiology-bound graduates is $200,000

3 key questions about private equity’s impact on radiology

House lawmakers criticize Medicare pay model targeting ‘wasteful’ interventional radiology services

Cook Medical hopes new iMRI division could be ‘game changer’ for interventional radiology