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.

Cardiology groups share new recommendations for performing safe, effective cardiac ablations in ASCs
The timing of this new guidance from the Heart Rhythm Society and American College of Cardiology could not have been better—the document went live just as CMS finalized its decision to cover cardiac ablation procedures performed in ASCs.
Emergency head CT use has more than doubled over last decade
A new analysis suggests approximately 1 out of every 10 patients presenting to the ED will complete a head CT during their visit.
MRI patients willing to commute farther for clinics that use low-dose GBCAs
Data suggest most patients in need of contrast-enhanced MR imaging would prefer lower dose alternatives. Some are willing to go well out of their way to achieve that.
Telix says new kidney cancer imaging agent alters treatment plans for 50% of patients
The positive findings come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration previously shared concerns related to sterility assurance issues during the drug’s production.
Siemens Healthineers issues correction for MRI systems affected by recent Class 1 recall
On Aug. 28, Siemens alerted customers about safety issues with nine different scanners from its Magnetom series of MRI offerings.

International, 271-point consensus reached on teaching ultrasound to undergrads

Undergraduate medical school students should be taught to visualize fluid-filled cavities with ultrasound and how to use ultrasound to guide a needle safely into a fluid-filled cavity, sonography experts advise in an authoritative new set of educational recommendations.

Have we been 'overdependent' on iodinated contrast? New paper calls into question prior practices before the shortage

"Ultimately, long-term studies are vital to parse out whether the absence of iodinated contrast media greatly affected patient outcomes or if we have been overdependent on ICM unnecessarily.”

Should patients and referrers worry that radiologists have ‘normal blindness’ just like everyone else?

All humans carry a condition that, in certain circumstances, keeps their eyes from seeing something obvious right in front of them.

The top 25 U.S. hospitals for cardiology and heart surgery

The annual rankings from U.S. News are here, with some familiar names making the top of the list. Did your facility make the cut?

The best US hospitals in 2022-2023

Minnesota-based Mayo Clinic took top honors as the best hospital in the United States, according to the 2022-2023 ranking by U.S. News & World Report.

Most patients want access to medical imaging records, but majority aren’t getting it: Small survey

More than half of a couple hundred patients who completed a new survey, 52%, ran into trouble when trying to see their medical images and reports or share same with their care team.

5 ways to financially thrive in the face of chronic little pay cuts

Radiology researchers from six leading medical schools have laid out some attuned and readily adoptable strategies for groups challenged to prosper in a time of difficult reimbursement dynamics.

Performing valve-in-valve transcatheter mitral valve replacement (ViV TMVR) with conscious sedation (CS) or monitored anesthesia care (MAC) instead of general anesthesia (GA) is safe and effective, according to new research published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions.

Using a TAVR-like minimalist approach for valve-in-valve TMVR is safe and effective, Cleveland Clinic study confirms

During valve-in-valve TMVR, patients are treated with conscious sedation or monitored anesthesia care instead of general anesthesia. This new analysis confirms that the change does not impact patient outcomes, but it was linked to a shorter length of stay.

Quality

Cardiology groups share new recommendations for performing safe, effective cardiac ablations in ASCs

Emergency head CT use has more than doubled over last decade

MRI patients willing to commute farther for clinics that use low-dose GBCAs

Telix says new kidney cancer imaging agent alters treatment plans for 50% of patients

Siemens Healthineers issues correction for MRI systems affected by recent Class 1 recall