There are two schools of thought on physician self-referral. On one side are supporters who see the practice as a harmless means of streamlining care for patients. On the other are detractors who consider it a cynical form of capitalism run amok in healthcare.

A breach at an Alabama hospital that resulted in a two-year jail term for a hospital employee suggests that insider threats to patient data security may be greater challenge than many providers understand.

Already a week into the new year, the healthcare industry is buzzing with energy and focused on the road ahead. 

Often lost amid the hurrahs over the promise and potential of big data to transform healthcare is how unwieldy it can be to apply in real-world settings—and how wary clinical decision-makers can be when they’re presented with it. 

“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 We are really hoping this is the year we see it repealed.”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.