CMS says 2020 is to be a year of “educational and operations” CDS testing. But the agency is likely to soon begin compiling data on slow adopters. Here’s what matters under the federal AUC mandate.

Ten radiology practices from around the U.S. have formed a new MSO, aiming to secure independence for each member practice. Some of the groups are already seeing strong returns.

Boone County Health Center in Albion, Nebraska, first opened back in 1950, ensuring that patients from the seven rural counties it serves could receive care without making the long drive to Lincoln or Omaha. 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has been one of the most hyped advancements in radiology for many years now, sparking vigorous debates about its potential impact on patient care. But early on, discussions about AI were more theoretical than factual; it was simply too early to know what the future may bring.

MEDNAX Radiology Education has begun offering radiologists weekly CME sessions that take around 15 minutes to complete and were more than a decade in the making.

For physicians who treat Medicare patients, everything changes next New Year’s Day. 

That’s when real consequences begin to befall those who order advanced imaging—CT, MRI or PET scans—without first consulting appropriate use criteria (AUC). They’ll need to show they did so by using a CMS-qualified clinical decision support mechanism (qCDSM).

Buying new software and systems for your healthcare enterprise can be a precarious endeavor. On the one hand, replacing an old system that is holding you back or purchasing new functionality that will increase efficiency is a promising and positive thing. On the other, selecting the wrong vendor could cause delays, setbacks and even security incidents.

It was only recently that 10 radiology practices from around the United States formed a new managed services organization (MSO), named it Unified Radiology and took aim at securing independence for each member practice. Almost immediately, members discovered that the modest investment of time creating the MSO would result in significant financial returns, now and in the future.