Nine years ago, when radiologist Kevin Barker, MD, joined the solo practice of Dr. Anson Cone, Community Radiology Associates (CRA) covered one imaging center and one rural hospital, and enjoyed high regard from referring physicians in the Texas Hill Country, a vast, 25-county region marked by rugged hills separating Austin from San Antonio.

The Obama Administration reports more than eight million people have signed up for health insurance under the new healthcare law, but many of those newly insured are confused. Responses like this are common: “I have my card, now what?” or “I pay my premium, why am I getting a bill?”

The new world order in radiology is much more about collaboration than independence, or rather, collaboration to retain independence. More and more, radiologists need to function as consultants, collaborating with other healthcare colleagues to increase their value through their expertise and best practices.

The final rule for the 2014 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in November, announced significant reductions in reimbursement for imaging-heavy specialties, and these reimbursement cuts will have major effects on future revenue streams for imaging facilities all over the country. 

Radiology groups are continuously being required to run their businesses more efficiently due to the current healthcare environment, in which reimbursements are declining and consumers are shouldering more of their own healthcare expenses under the new healthcare law.

As healthcare evolves, so too must healthcare consumers, providers, and payors. Healthcare consumers have increased access to coverage through the new health law, as well as through cooperative efforts between employers, providers, and payors to provide more affordable coverage. Many of the new plans offer affordable premiums that unfortunately, come with high deductibles.

As the Department of Health and Human Services prepares for year two of the federal health insurance exchange (HIX), it recently announced plans for an automated re-enrollment process.

With so much healthcare news coming out of the Capitol, it’s obvious that healthcare remains a priority for the country’s leadership. The office of Health and Human Services (HHS) is preparing for enrollment in year two of the federal health insurance exchange and announced that it will launch auto-enrollment to give existing consumers a simple way to remain in the same plan next year, unless they want to shop for another plan and choose to make changes. This announcement comes amidst reports of coverage gaps for those currently enrolled in some state plans, as well as lingering, unresolved issues stemming from the original enrollment launch debacle last fall.