As financial resources become dearer for everyone in the healthcare industry—from payers to providers to patients—leverage gained at any point in the system usually requires a release of pressure elsewhere within it.

Radiology-practice alignment with hospitals and health systems has never been a simple proposition, and recent years have seen the severance of long-standing ties between hospitals and the practices that served them. Simultaneously, however, conditions in the US health-care market have made alignment between the two parties a more promising

Multiple factors have coalesced recently to create the ideal environment for improved radiology group–hospital alignment, including regulatory upheavals, economic pressure, and changes in reimbursement. The alignment pressures have resulted in much discussion concerning group consolidation. Frequently, this consolidation takes one of three forms:

As the volume of patient data that forms the foundation of the recently released Health Care Cost and Utilization Report: 2010 carries enough weight to stand on its own, all that's left for people on the sidelines to do is comment on its usage.

Citing a growing demand for nationwide HIT services, Inland Imaging of Spokane, WA announced plans this week to spin off an integrated IT service and image archiving subsidiary, the Spokane Spokesman-Review reported.

Tel Aviv, Israel-based ETView Medical announced this week that it has secured FDA approval to market its VivaSight airway imaging surgical system and plans to bring the technology immediately to U.S. customers.

By the end of 2012, kidney care provider DaVita will add “HealthCare Partners” to its name, as the latter was acquired by the former in a $4.42 billion deal that forms a network of coordinated care services serving 667,000 patients.

As the new CEO of radiology services provider, OptimalIMX, Jonathan Grimes confesses he’s not as up-to-speed on the more technical aspects of the industry as he’d like—but that’s okay. Change is good.