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.

American Heart Association program leads to substantial improvements in stroke care
Cardiologist Gregg Fonarow, MD, reviewed decades of data and discussed the long-term impact of the AHA's Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program.
AHA still working to find more patients with severe aortic stenosis who may require care
The initiative is designed to help identify more patients who may require aortic valve replacement. Brian Lindman, MD, provided an update on the project's efforts.
Imaging experts question validity of new CMS quality measure aimed at reducing CT radiation exposure
The American Association of Physicists in Medicine recently convened a panel of industry experts, devising a list of issues with the new quality metric.
Most stock photos fail to accurately portray the work of radiologists
Only about 9% of images examined presented a “realistic view of a radiologist’s job," according to new research out of Belgium.
Efforts needed to improve interventional radiology awareness among specialists: Survey
The call to action comes from a poll of over 500 specialists at a single academic institution, published in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.

FDG PET/CT imaging can monitor effectiveness of immunotherapy in melanoma patients

18F-FDG PET/CT imaging can help providers monitor the effectiveness of immunotherapy with ipililmumab in metastatic melanoma patients, according to new findings published in the Journal of the Nuclear Medicine.

New training tool shows promise in improving radiologist performance

A training program being used in Australia and New Zealand has been shown to help radiologists and radiology trainees interpret mammograms, according to a new study published in Academic Radiology.

Weekly Watchdog: Convictions in $20M healthcare fraud scheme

Catch up on all things fraud and ethics in the healthcare industry with HealthExec’s weekly watchdog report.

DBT associated with higher detection rates, lower recall rates among all age groups

Breast cancer screening with digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) improves breast cancer detection and leads to fewer false-positive recalls, according to new research published in JAMA Oncology.

Imaging agent catches acute venous thromboembolism missed by other methods

When diagnosing acute venous thromboembolism (VTE)—a disease that includes deep-vein thrombosis of the leg or pelvis and its complication, pulmonary embolism—PET/CT imaging with a 18F-GP1 radiotracer performed with a higher detection rate than conventional imaging, according to research published in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Healthcare companies make most ethical list

Several healthcare companies have made it onto the Ethisphere Institute’s World’s Most Ethical Companies list for 2019.

CMS: All Children’s Hospital failures were widespread

A CMS report found the problems at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, were more extensive than the pediatric heart unit, The Tampa Bay Times reported.

Is there a learning curve associated with interpreting DBT exams?

Exploring the performance of more than 100 radiologists, researchers found “no evidence of a learning curve” for clinically interpreting digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) examinations.

Quality

American Heart Association program leads to substantial improvements in stroke care

AHA still working to find more patients with severe aortic stenosis who may require care

Imaging experts question validity of new CMS quality measure aimed at reducing CT radiation exposure

Most stock photos fail to accurately portray the work of radiologists

Efforts needed to improve interventional radiology awareness among specialists: Survey