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.

‘Innovative’ pay model eliminates cost uncertainty for breast and lung cancer screening patients
Experts have proposed “episode-based cost sharing” to address financial toxicity for healthcare consumers, according to new research published in JACR.
PFA startup founded by industry veteran to share first-in-human data at Heart Rhythm 2025
Field Medical, founded in 2022 by Steven Mickelsen, MD, is set to make a significant splash at the Heart Rhythm Society's annual meeting in San Diego. The company also just raised $40 million in financing.
New pact ends any ongoing payment disputes between Cigna and Radiology Partners affiliate
Singleton Associates, P.A., announced Wednesday it has inked a multiyear partnership with the Bloomfield, Connecticut, payer effective June 1.
Congress should relax budget neutrality to pay for imaging AI, industry lobbying group urges
"As the nation’s largest payer of healthcare, Medicare’s policies on coverage and payment for AI technologies are especially critical," AdvaMed says.
Tariffs threaten imaging access for patients, RBMA warns
Radiology practices are already operating on razor thin margins, with price increases prompting calls for congressional action to prevent further damage.

'Forced to jump through hoops': Commercial insurers are making life harder for physicians

Although commercial payors do offer better reimbursement rates, their lack of timeliness in making payments is negatively impacting hospitals.

The best and worst states to practice medicine

Malpractice premiums appear to play a significant role in the rankings. Even states with ample job opportunities and low-to-moderate cost of living were ranked poorly due to their high malpractice premiums.

Radiologists received $370M in gifts, speaker fees and other perks in 5 years, but most went to top 5%

More than 91% of the total pot of money (or $338 million) was paid to this smaller group of radiologists, experts detailed Thursday in Academic Radiology.

Is warming iodinated contrast prior to use really necessary?

The ACR Manual on Contrast Media suggests that highly viscous ICM should be warmed to body temperature prior to administration when using high-rate intravenous low-osmolality power injections, viscous iodinated CM, small-caliber catheters, or for timed studies looking at peak enhancement.

Private equity-backed cardiology group expands Texas footprint with new partnership

US Heart and Vascular has been busy in 2023, announcing deals with a new investment firm and multiple cardiology practices in the last two months alone.

Envision Healthcare’s operating performance will continue to deteriorate, Moody’s predicts

The multispecialty group recorded $6.9B in revenues over a one-year period, but it's grappling with negative free cash flow and "very weak" liquidity, experts noted.

States introduce nearly 90 bills to address ‘time-wasting’ prior authorization policies

More than a dozen proposals are being considered this legislative session, as the AMA lobbies alongside radiology groups to address this issue.

For-profit hospital giant HCA Healthcare touts joint venture with Envision Radiology

Clear Connect Medical Imaging will offer state-of-the-art technology, private dressing rooms and other modern amenities

Economics

‘Innovative’ pay model eliminates cost uncertainty for breast and lung cancer screening patients

PFA startup founded by industry veteran to share first-in-human data at Heart Rhythm 2025

New pact ends any ongoing payment disputes between Cigna and Radiology Partners affiliate

Congress should relax budget neutrality to pay for imaging AI, industry lobbying group urges

Tariffs threaten imaging access for patients, RBMA warns