While quality and cost data improved overall for the 33 Pioneer ACOs in their first year of operation, CMS announced that nine of them intend to exit the Pioneer ACO program. Two of the nine will leave the program entirely and seven will migrate to the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP), which does not require the initial assumption of risk. None of the nine produced shared savings.

Two RadNet sites will conduct PET/CT imaging for the Phase 1 trial of E2609, a BACE (beta-site amyloid precursor protein-cleaving enzyme) inhibitor, discovered and developed by Eisai Co., Ltd

Pay went up slightly for radiologists last year, but not quite enough to keep up with inflation. The latest numbers from the Modern Healthcare Physician Compensation Survey revealed a 0.6% jump for imaging professionals. The figure was offset by a consumer price index inflation estimate of 1.7%

The House of Representatives of the North Carolina legislature has approved HB 467 the Breast Density Notification and Awareness Act. If signed into law by Governor Pat McCrory, North Carolina will be come the 12th state to require mammography providers to inform patients about their breast density status

MITA, AdvaMed and MDMA say medical device manufacturers have collectively paid over $1 billion to the IRS so far under the new 2.3% medical device tax

USARAD.com may have tapped into an under-appreciated market need judging by local media reaction to its recently launched website that lets patients pay directly for a second opinion on their radiology reports and images

Recruitment and retention of the right physicians is one of the most critical practice-building activities in which radiology groups engage, but misconceptions and missteps abound. While the market for new radiologists is less tight than in recent years, practices must exercise caution to ensure they are hiring the right staff members—and must avoid attrition by developing strategies and procedures for effective physician retention.

Consistent with the observed trends affecting our national health-care market, the diagnostic-imaging industry has been acutely affected by the forces of consolidation. The number of transactions involving diagnostic-imaging centers has grown consistently over the past five years. Most recently, transactions involving the formation of joint-venture arrangements between health systems and large companies operating multiple freestanding imaging centers have become popular.