Mecklenburg Radiology Associates (MRA), is a key imaging services provider for Novant Health, a multi-state hospital system that primarily serves the mid-Atlantic region.

Erkan Akyuz was named president of McKesson Technology Solutions' Imaging & Workflow Solutions in May, 2014. Well known in imaging circles, Akyuz previously served as president and CEO of Vital Images, Inc, as well as executive vice president and chief technology officer at Agfa Healthcare. Akyuz brings extensive industry experience, strong leadership and a focus on customer success, and he is well prepared to further McKesson’s mission to break down information silos and improve the quality and cost effectiveness of care delivery. Health IT Executive Forum recently spoke with Akyuz about his perspectives on the current market, new opportunities and where he will take McKesson’s Imaging & Workflow Solutions division.

Preparing for the paradigm shift to value-based care remains a topic of intense focus and discussion while the concept continues to be defined in a meaningful way, according to Cindy Hardin, executive director, Infrastructure Product Management in imaging and workflow solutions at McKesson. 

A year into implementing a better method to track and report patient radiation dose and the team at University Hospitals Case Medical Center (UHCMC) in Cleveland says they are on the right track. The center of UHCMC’s dose tracking and reporting is Sectra Dose Track™, the dose-monitoring and reporting platform from Sectra.

Nine years ago, when radiologist Kevin Barker, MD, joined the solo practice of Dr. Anson Cone, Community Radiology Associates (CRA) covered one imaging center and one rural hospital, and enjoyed high regard from referring physicians in the Texas Hill Country, a vast, 25-county region marked by rugged hills separating Austin from San Antonio.

The final rule for the 2014 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule, which was released by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in November, announced significant reductions in reimbursement for imaging-heavy specialties, and these reimbursement cuts will have major effects on future revenue streams for imaging facilities all over the country. 

As healthcare evolves, so too must healthcare consumers, providers, and payors. Healthcare consumers have increased access to coverage through the new health law, as well as through cooperative efforts between employers, providers, and payors to provide more affordable coverage. Many of the new plans offer affordable premiums that unfortunately, come with high deductibles.

At the most recent meeting of the Radiology Business Management Association in Charlotte, a new model for independent group practice collaboration was proposed to practices around the country. The model allows independent practices to succeed and is an alternative to the traditional radiology group alignment models of merger, acquisition, or outright takeover by a hospital or a private equity group. These collaborations can take different forms, but they share the same underlying goals: gaining the necessary resources to fulfill the needs of their primary clients—hospitals, payors and patients—inclusive of delivering meaningful information and decision support.