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.

RadNet records rare decrease in imaging procedural volumes
This marks the first time since the pandemic of 2020 that RadNet has seen a same-center decrease in imaging use.
Senators introduce bipartisan bill to revive shelved imaging appropriate-use criteria program
Sens. Marsha Blackburn and Catherine Cortez Masto are proposing the Radiology Outpatient Ordering Transmission (ROOT) Act, which would eliminate real-time reporting requirements in AUC.
Private equity firm Stonepeak closing in on $1.9B purchase of radiology network
The New York investment group, which also owns Akumin, is reportedly "inches" from acquiring Australia's largest diagnostic imaging provider.
UnitedHealth, Amedisys offer divestitures as $3.3B merger advances
Pennant and BrightSpring Health Services have agreed to purchase some healthcare businesses from UnitedHealth and Amedisys. However, it remains unclear whether this will be enough for the DOJ to drop its lawsuit blocking the merger.
Tariffs will have a significant impact on the nuclear imaging supply chain in the US
"Domestic radiopharmaceutical suppliers, who receive isotopes from abroad, would be impacted by price changes and uncertainty caused by additional tariffs,” SNMMI President Cathy Cutler, PhD, wrote in a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce this week.

New UnitedHealthcare prior authorization restrictions take effect this month, ACR warns

Beginning April 1, UnitedHealthcare is making physicians jump through extra hoops to obtain payment for certain outpatient services.

Deep learning discerns meat safety quickly, economically

Apart from software, the technique needs nothing more than a halogen lamp and a commercial-grade spectrometer. This pairing can be had together for well under $5,000.

Dipti Itchhaporia named new American College of Cardiology president

Itchhaporia, an interventional cardiologist, most recently served as the ACC's vice president.

Moody’s upgrades outlook for imaging giant RadNet amid climbing patient volumes

The ratings agency first issued its downgrade in July, citing the risk of prolonged business impact from COVID-19 and uncertainty around radiology's future.

Nines gets nod on AI nodule measurer

The FDA has given the all-clear to AI software that measures nodules in the lungs, a tedious but important task for radiologists monitoring changes in these growths over time.

Prostate AI flirts with perfection on accuracy

An AI system for diagnosing prostate cancer on biopsy slides has achieved 98%-plus performance in sensitivity, positive predictive value, specificity and negative predictive value.

Prestigious provider org joins with storied tech giant to ‘accelerate discovery’

Two healthcare heavyweights are combining forces to form a technology center they hope will, over the next 10 years, “fundamentally advance the pace” of discovery in medical science and healthcare innovation.

Healthcare AI takes another jab to the jaw

Last week a literature review showed none of 62 high-quality medical AI models ready for translation from academic research to clinical practice. Now comes a similar but separate study confirming the depth of the dashed hopes.

Economics

RadNet records rare decrease in imaging procedural volumes

Senators introduce bipartisan bill to revive shelved imaging appropriate-use criteria program

Private equity firm Stonepeak closing in on $1.9B purchase of radiology network

UnitedHealth, Amedisys offer divestitures as $3.3B merger advances

Tariffs will have a significant impact on the nuclear imaging supply chain in the US