In states that choose to utilize federal grants for the pilot program, those who don’t want coverage would have to actively opt out of plans within 60 days.

Chris Tomlinson, VP of enterprise radiology at Jefferson Health and finance chair at the Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA), spoke with HealthImaging about these issues—and why the "commoditization” of imaging may be at the heart of the problem.

If the first quarter of the year is any indication, the frantic pace of mergers and acquisitions (M&A) among hospitals won’t be slowing down in 2018. Thirty transactions were announced between January 1 and March 31, an 11 percent increase over the same period in 2017, according to Kaufman Hall.

In 1999, Amazon bought a 46 percent stake in Drugstore.com and began marketing its products on the Amazon site. Once hailed as “a likely gold mine,” the venture never turned a profit after running into problems with regulations, logistics and the existing pharmacy benefit managers that already dominated the market.

Fewer quality measures, a shorter reporting period for Meaningful Use requirements and an increase in uncompensated rate payments were all positives in the eyes of hospitals in their initial reaction to the proposed 2019 Medicare Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS) rule.

FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said his administration is working on an updated “new regulatory framework” to promote the use of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare, and he expects medical imaging to be at the forefront of AI-based healthcare devices, according to a report published by The Hill.

Healthcare real estate investor Welltower has announced it will acquire the outstanding shares of Quality Care Properties and form a joint venture with Toledo, Ohio-based health system ProMedica for the real estate holdings of QCP tenants HCR ManorCare and Arden Courts.

The growth in Medicare Advantage membership has benefited hospitals and physician groups that operate their own plans, with total enrollment increasing by more than 20 percent to three million beneficiaries since 2015.