The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) will continue to mandate that hospitals service medical equipment, including imaging and radiation therapy equipment, according to the device manufacturer’s standards

North Carolina advocates for health care providers have lost an appeal in a case centered on multiple procedure payment reductions for radiologists

Changes include stronger equipment maintenance standards, including requiring accredited organizations to have a qualified diagnostic medical physicist conduct annual equipment performance evaluations.

The deal puts two giants together. RadNet is the largest owner and operator of fixed diagnostic imaging centers in the United States and Zotec Partners is the radiology field’s leading provider of billing and practice management services.

Diagnostic Imaging Services, based in Metairie, La., has acquired the Delta Imaging Center sites in Covington and Slidell, La., bringing its total number of independent imaging centers in the greater New Orleans area to five, reports New Orleans City Business

State rules to regulate the health care market often pose a challenge to medical imaging facilities seeking to open a new location or expand their services. However, North Star Radiology in Fairbanks, Alaska, is in the unique situation of seeing their existing business being examined by the state’s Department of Health and Social Services.

A change in reimbursement rules designed to cut down on overuse of observations stays for Medicare patients has pushed hospital admission rates down to the lowest number seen in a decade on a monthly survey conducted by Citi Research

Both organizations issued statements underlining their support for clinical decision support in advanced imaging following a op-ed by American Enterprise Institute fellow Scott Gottleib, MD.