No health-care enterprise wants to make an enormous investment in technology for image storage, only to find it outdated and in need of an upgrade. The vendor-neutral archive has been proposed as a natural antidote to this problem, but an archive alone is, increasingly, not enough—particularly for large academic institutions that intend to improve

For 2012, CMS proposed a reduction in the cost-of-capital (or interest-rate) assumption used in the development of the cost-of-equipment estimates that are included in the practice-expense component of the RVU calculations. Historically, CMS has used an interest-rate assumption of 11%. Based on the current prime rate and maximum interest rates for

Cloud-based technologies have been relatively slow to penetrate the health-care IT market, but several advances in technology—as well as federal programs that encourage the adoption of interoperable solutions—are changing that, according to Vijay Ramanathan, CEO and cofounder of RamSoft Inc. “The biggest trend that is driving cloud computing, in

You know how good it feels. You finally did the right trade and now own Boardwalk and Park Place. Everyone who has the misfortune of landing on your block of expensive property pays through the roof, and you smile all the way to the bank. It is great fun owning a monopoly—unless, of course, you have those pesky regulators at your back, asking

In July, CMS released its proposed 2013 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule¹ (MPFS). Contained within its pages was an unpleasant surprise for imaging: the reintroduction of the Multiple Procedure Payment Reduction (MPPR) last seen in the 2012 proposed rule. As Maurine Spillman-Dennis, MPH, MBA, senior director of economics and health policy for the

Community health centers (CHCs), established by the federal government as part of a 1975 legislation package, have spent 37 years trying to solve one of the primary problems tackled by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA): keeping underserved or uninsured patients out of emergency departments through the provision of affordable

On June 28, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate contained in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) is not unconstitutional, interpreting it as a tax. Based on the mandate, in 2014, US residents will be required to buy health insurance (or will face a tax penalty that will slowly increase over time). Pat Basu, MD,

Transparency is a term that can be applied to almost any aspect of a business’ operations, and while it is always a worthwhile goal, it is particularly important for radiology practices to embrace and achieve transparency when it comes to the billing cycle. A practice’s financial health is significantly improved by an ongoing understanding of the