Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

FDA commissioner, a veteran cardiologist, highlights ongoing issues with US healthcare system
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, talked to Cardiovascular Business about healthcare spending, inconsistent patient outcomes and much more.
FDA commissioner urges health systems to strengthen AI quality oversight
FDA Commissioner Robert Califf, MD, explains the need for hospitals to perform quality assurance checks on clinical artificial intelligence to ensure these technologies don't "drift" from what was originally cleared by the FDA.
Clinical decision support significantly reduces use of CT for pulmonary embolism
Across 340,000 hospital admissions, there was a 7.4% decrease in CTPA use after referrers started consulting CDS, experts write in JACR.
AI prevents mammography positioning errors before exposure
And it can spot positioning errors in less than two seconds, new research suggests.
Frequent AI use may increase radiologists’ risk of burnout
The problem is particularly pronounced among members of the specialty who already have a high workload or are skeptical of artificial intelligence.

Best and worst states for healthcare in 2019

The best state in the nation for healthcare is Hawaii, according to a new ranking from U.S. News & World Report.

May 20, 2019

Avoidable hospitals deaths dip

Avoidable hospital deaths are on the decline, according to recent estimates from the Leapfrog Group for Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

May 20, 2019

Radiologist’s research highlights the potential value of virtual reality

Researchers have developed virtual reality (VR) technology that allows users to feel as if they are inside a patient’s blood vessels as they insert a catheter.

May 17, 2019

Updated imaging protocol helps researchers limit gadolinium use

Implementing a new and improved imaging protocol can significantly reduce the use of gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) when treating multiple sclerosis (MS) patients, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

May 16, 2019

Covera Health, Walmart collaborate to spotlight high-quality radiologists

Covera Health announced Wednesday, May 15, that it is launching a multi-year collaboration with Walmart aimed at helping patients “avoid misguided and unnecessary treatment based on inaccurate radiology diagnoses.”

May 15, 2019

How dual-energy CT can help treat patients with pure ground-glass nodules

Dual-energy CT (DECT) shows potential as an effective tool for treating patients with pure ground-glass nodules (pGGNs), according to a new study in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

May 14, 2019

Will imaging providers be affected by the global helium shortage?

The world’s ongoing helium shortage made a lot of headlines after Party City announced it was closing down 45 stores by the end of 2019. What kind of impact could the deflating availability of this important element have on imaging providers?

May 13, 2019

How reading imaging exams on a mobile device affects accuracy

Time is brain, as the famous saying goes, when treating acute stroke patients. And radiologists can often save time for those patients by reading their imaging studies on mobile devices—smartphones or laptop computers, for instance—instead of a traditional workstation.

May 7, 2019

Quality

FDA commissioner, a veteran cardiologist, highlights ongoing issues with US healthcare system

FDA commissioner urges health systems to strengthen AI quality oversight

Clinical decision support significantly reduces use of CT for pulmonary embolism

AI prevents mammography positioning errors before exposure

Frequent AI use may increase radiologists’ risk of burnout