“The repeal of the medical device tax is our number one priority for 2015. We are really hoping this is the year we see it repealed.”

One of the topics weighing heavily on the minds of those providers who perused all the new CT imaging equipment on display at RSNA 2014 was the new legislation dedicated to medical imaging as it relates to making provisions to more strictly control CT dosage requirements under NEMA Standard XR-29-2013.

Last week CMS announced that more than 257,000 physicians—that’s more than half of all docs treating Medicare patients—will be docked 1 percent in 2015 for failing to meet their 2013 Meaningful Use goals. The fallout from the federal program’s critics was swift and pointed. This week imagingBiz asked ACR to weigh in on behalf of radiologists. 

When given control of their own health records in electronic format, patients are ready and willing to share their info with their own doctor or nurse. But they stubbornly resist letting other, equally critical members of the care team in on the conversation. 

The single most interesting and, in retrospect, forward-looking comment I heard at RSNA wasn’t spoken during the several sessions and press conferences I attended, enlightening and fascinating as those were. It didn’t rise above the drone of the exhibit halls, exciting as so many of the product displays and booth discussions proved to be. 

Zotec Partners (Zotec), an industry-leading provider of radiology billing and practice management services, announces a billing contract extension with Imaging Healthcare Specialists Medical Group, Inc. (IHSM) in San Diego, California. 

When the development team at Viztek convened to reimagine its current PACS release, the first thing that went onto the white board was “zero footprint viewer—no exceptions.” To make that happen, Viztek approached the company that holds the exclusive patent on the idea of presenting a DICOM image in a Web page to obtain a license from Heart Imaging Technology.

In the year ahead, radiologists must continue to adapt to changes and rise to the evolving challenges delivered by health care reform, including better utilization of available data that are necessary to inform practice decisions and make long-term, significant changes to sustain their businesses, according to Mark Isenberg, Partner of Client Services with Zotec Partners. Isenberg discusses five topics with imagingBiz that should be on the radar for all radiologists in the coming year.