Now that we're reaching the one year mark of the official launch of the health insurance exchange, critics and supporters continue to debate whether or not healthcare reform is reforming anything. According to an article in Forbes today, something much bigger is happening. Whatever you think of its merits, the Affordable Care Act is re-shaping American healthcare, radically altering business models that hadn’t changed in decades.  

We live in a culture of bling in which heat and chutzpah trump almost everything—what else explains the fact that Kim Kardashian has a leading game app in the Apple store? Given that, and the fact that India just put a satellite into orbit around Mars for a fraction ($74 million) of what we spent ($671 million) to send MAVEN to Mars, I’d like to take a few of your minutes to praise the virtues of thrift, despite the fact (or maybe because of it) that we are a country with a nearly $18 trillion dollar debt and an unsustainable Medicare program.

The 2015 proposed changes to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) are consistent with those from previous years, continuing to whittle away the revenue stream of radiologists. While the overall impact to radiology is estimated at two percent based on the current proposal, there are some notable changes proposed that may cause the impact to be significantly higher in certain situations.

As valuation professionals, we actively follow publicly traded companies in the healthcare industry.  These companies provide insight into how company management and investors evaluate the opportunities and risks faced by a particular industry.  Challenges in the diagnostic imaging business are not unique; nearly all ancillary healthcare service companies are experiencing similar macroeconomic headwinds. However, ancillary healthcare stocks have continued to demonstrate gains.  

In imaging services, “getting it right” is of utmost importance when it comes to selecting the appropriate equipment, administering the correct radiation dose and delivering excellent patient care. Getting it right also is an imperative where staffing is concerned.

When it comes to electronic communications for radiology, it’s all in the workflow, says Andrew Wells, MD, a radiologist with Hendersonville Radiological Consultants, an eight-partner practice that covers three hospitals in western North Carolina.

When Schuylkill Health in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, started evaluating PACS to replace an existing system, a radiology information system (RIS) was not on the shopping list. The radiology department that served two hospitals and two specialty imaging centers used a hospital information system that had provided basic RIS functionality.

There's much to observe as the Obama Administration prepares for the upcoming open enrollment period for the federal health insurance exchange (HIX). The initial problem-laden rollout of the program online, followed by countless exceptions, extensions and delays, has cost billions of unplanned dollars and human resources, and all hope is pointed toward a smooth reenrollment for this year.