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.

Atrial Fibrillation Centers of Excellence: The best path forward for high-quality care and better outcomes
The world is in the throes of an AFib pandemic, one that could potentially get worse in the years ahead due to population growth, economic hardships and rigid resource limitations. According to the Heart Rhythm Society, one way to effectively combat this issue is the development of more AFib Centers of Excellence.
Oversizing reduces PVL when implanting Medtronic’s newer self-expanding TAVR valves
Paravalvular leak has been shown to impact patient outcomes after TAVR. Higher degrees of valve oversizing, however, can reduce the risk of post-treatment PVL without increasing the odds of adverse outcomes.
Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence
The 55-year-old patient woke up experiencing chest pain one morning and an ambulance was called. He was dead just a few hours later. His family's lawsuit argued that delays in care, communication errors and other issues were directly responsible for his death.
How to score accreditation for a radiotherapy theranostics program
Wes Folds, a PET specialist with the Intersocietal Accreditation Commission, discusses a new nuclear offering from IAC.
Referrers want more structured radiology reports
Ordering physicians believe templated reporting more clearly communicates impressions regarding neuro patients, which often require more complex workups and management.

Every-other-year mammography screenings result in larger tumors, more aggressive treatment

Wanting to quash this confusion for providers and patients, researchers from the University of Michigan compared outcomes for dozens of diagnosed women.

Hundreds of CT scans went unread at one medical center, fueled partly by overworked radiologist: Report

Almost 2,000 images gathered dust for years at Walter Reed, delaying treatment for at least one veteran, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Reducing patients’ stress when wearing masks for head and neck cancer screenings: 3 tips

Requiring head and neck cancer patients to wear masks during treatment can cause significant anxiety, which can also spread to radiology staffers taking part in treatment.

Patient outcomes are similar across hospital profiles

Patient outcomes don’t differ significantly across high- or low-cost hospitals, according to a study from Harvard and Yale researchers published in JAMA Network Open.

Emergency radiologists struggle to curb unnecessary back pain imaging

While there has been a modest decline in imaging for these cases over the past five years, about one in every three ED visits for back pain still resulted in x-ray, CT or MRI testing.

Johnson & Johnson rushed baby powder testing after asbestos scare

Pharmaceutical, medical device and consumer goods company Johnson & Johnson rushed the testing of its baby powder after the FDA found asbestos in the product, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Diagnosis criteria for COPD should be expanded to include CT scan, other factors

Doing so could potentially add millions of new diagnoses of the condition each year, but also help clinicians to catch its progression earlier in the disease process.

Medicare FFS improper payment rate falls

The improper payment rate in Medicare fee-for-service (FFS) fell to its lowest rate since 2010, according to CMS. However, there were still an estimated $28.9 billion in improper payments made in 2019, down $7 billion from 2017.

Quality

Atrial Fibrillation Centers of Excellence: The best path forward for high-quality care and better outcomes

Oversizing reduces PVL when implanting Medtronic’s newer self-expanding TAVR valves

Family of heart patient who died awarded $45M after suing health system for negligence

How to score accreditation for a radiotherapy theranostics program

Referrers want more structured radiology reports