There is little question that consolidation and integration in the health-care sector is in full force and will continue to dominate the landscape in 2014—given the markedly high level of healthcare entities merger and acquisition activity in 2013, of that we can be certain.

In a comment letter on the final 2014 Medicare fee schedule for physicians, the ACR pointed out once more the cumulative effect on imaging reimbursement of various recent legislative and policy changes and urged CMS to adopt a “dampening” policy to limit the total amount a specific procedural code could be reduced in a given year.

With the addition of the 71 hospitals operated by Health Management Associates (HMA), Community Health Systems (CHS) becomes the largest hospital chain in the country, public or private, by number of facilities.

The Garden State becomes the 14th state that requires mammography providers to include breast density status in reports sent to patients.

Canada’s Calgary Scientific Inc. has become a member of the Health and Life Sciences Technology Alliance Partner (TAP) program of Hitachi Data Systems

Varian Medical Systems’ updated ProBeam™ proton therapy system can now be marketed in the United States

CMS has published rules on how it will comply with requests for the actual dollar amounts it has paid to individual physicians

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has voted unanimously to reduce or eliminate discrepancies in what Medicare pays for services done in hospital outpatient departments versus physician offices and ambulatory surgery centers