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.

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Daily smartphone training helps urology department order more appropriate CT exams

Quizzing healthcare providers on their smartphones can lead to better patient care, according to a new case study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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Investigation: Johns Hopkins hospitals don’t follow safety rules

Johns Hopkins doctors invented a checklist that has saved thousands of lives, but they sometimes fail to follow the principles themselves, according to an investigation by the Tampa Bay Times.

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Emergency CT scans, specialist consultations drive ‘diagnostic cascade’ of needless care

The more emergency physicians order imaging and consult with specialists, the more likely they are to spur a “diagnostic cascade” of medical testing that ultimately proves unnecessary. Further, patients imaged with CT as part of an initial emergency workup are highly likely to be admitted.

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Top stories of 2018

Healthcare stakeholders dealt with a slurry of new regulations, policy shifts and mega deals across the industry in 2018. After a whirlwind of a year, we’ve rounded up our most popular stories from 2018.

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Thyroid CT using less radiation, less contrast material provides sufficient image quality

Exposing patients undergoing preoperative thyroid CT to less radiation and less contrast material (CM) does not have a negative impact on the overall image quality, according to new research published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

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5 strategies for reducing errors in diagnostic radiology

A new analysis published in Academic Radiology explored some of the many causes of error in diagnostic radiology and what could be done to prevent those issues moving forward.

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DOJ to take on Sutter Health in False Claims Act lawsuit

The U.S. government has jumped into a False Claims Act lawsuit stemming from a whistleblower against Sutter Health, a healthcare services company based in California, and its affiliate Palo Alto Medical Foundation.

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NIH revises funding to avoid studies with conflicts of interest

After coming under fire for funding research projects with clear conflicts of interest behind those conducting them, the National Institutes of Health has revised how it will fund future studies.