January 1, 2017, is likely to be a red-letter day for radiology. As of this date, physicians ordering advanced diagnostic imaging exams (CT, MRI, nuclear medicine, and PET) for Medicare beneficiaries must, in compliance with the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014, consult government-approved, evidence-based appropriate use criteria through a clinical decision support (CDS) system.

INFINITT announced today that TridentUSA Health Services has entered into a 7-year Partner Plus Agreement that is based on an unlimited software licensing model for INFINITT PACS and Cardiology Suite, in addition to custom software development.

The question in the headline is not open-ended and philosophical. It is multiple-choice and strategic, as any given hospital or multi-hospital system now inevitably perceives its contracted radiology practices as occupying ground in one of only three possible capacities.

We’re only halfway through the current calendar year, and already radiology practice in the U.S. has been jolted by not one but two major transactions.

Finding a happy place at work may seem like mismatch—or if you are lucky, the norm. In healthcare, we strive to keep patients happy. Happy providers make happy patients. But sometimes we need some help in boosting our own happiness.

The other day I saw this headline and stopped. “The Art and Science of Doing Nothing.”

When it comes to diagnosing cancer, radiologists examine digital images and pathologists scrutinize slides. Only occasionally do the two collaborate prior to meetings of the tumor board or multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Apple used to push the world to “think different.” Today, the profession of radiology is being driven to think differentiation. And the impetus is issuing not from a single corporation, but rather from myriad market forces—from commoditization to consolidation to, perhaps most pressingly, ever-narrowing profit margins.