It’s T-minus two and a half years, give or take, on the liftoff of Meaningful Use stage 3. In 2018, every eligible hospital and eligible professional must attest to a single set of eight objectives—or suffer reduced Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements—in what is expected to be the final and definitive MU stage.

Every hospital-based radiology department in the U.S. knows it needs to reduce costs while improving care—now, not later on down the road—but only the most focused and forward-looking manage to pull off the feat one day and, the next, secure its sustainability for many years to come.

Why in the world would two radiology practices competing for business in the same market consider sharing market information, revealing operational and performance data and—most counterintuitively of all—combining forces and resources in a joint venture (JV)?

It’s been half a year since RadAnalytics last heard from Scott Luchs, MD, president of Ramapo Radiology Associates in New York State’s Hudson Valley.

Two independent radiology practices in New York’s Hudson Valley have finalized a plan, three years in the works, to form a joint venture and begin actively inviting other groups to climb aboard. 

I’ve worked in radiology IT leadership for more than 20 years, but over the past year and a half, I’ve learned more about all three—radiology, IT and leadership—than in the previous 18 years combined.

Two mandates are driving U.S. healthcare policy: improving quality and reducing costs. At vRad, leadership has embraced these concepts and integrated them into its corporate mission.

The pace of innovation has quickened considerably during the past 18 months at vRad, ever since Ben Strong MD, chief medical officer, found a willing collaborator in CIO Shannon Werb.