Sunshine Radiology was facing a quandary familiar to many radiology groups. The busy 25-radiologist practice (based in Sebring, Florida) wanted to expand its hospital business, but knew that it needed to lower its costs in order to do so. “We needed to keep our radiologists as efficient as possible, and there wasn’t always enough volume to support

Growing business while staying ahead of the competition is a focal point for most organizations, particularly in the competitive and high-stakes health care market. Maintaining and striving to further enhance the delivery of high customer satisfaction are also vital to long-term success. In August, FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA, Inc., Stamford,

CMS plans to implement a two-year Medicare Imaging Demonstration Project [PDF] that will test whether decision-support systems can promote the appropriate ordering of imaging services using criteria established in current medical-specialty guidelines. The project will focus on MRI, CT, and nuclear-medicine diagnostic-imaging services. The 11

CMS released the 2011 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) in July, proposing myriad changes that CMS notes would result in a 6% payment cut for radiology services. That reduction doesn’t include the impact of the 23% cut that will take place on December 1, when this year’s temporary 2.2% payment update expires—or the additional 6.1% cut

Recent media coverage of a radiologist’s accusations of inaccuracy against Radisphere National Radiology Group, Cleveland, Ohio, returns the question of quality to the forefront of discussion in the radiology community. ImagingBiz spoke with Frank Seidelmann, DO, chief innovation officer and clinical director of neuroradiology for Radisphere, both

For nearly a year and a half following the passage of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act, the medical community had one question on its mind: What constitutes meaningful use? The HITECH legislation stresses that in order to receive stimulus funding for health IT, providers must prove meaningful use of

The following is not a trick question: What does the US Army’s legendary 82nd Airborne Division have in common with today’s medical-imaging profession? On the surface, probably not a lot; beneath the surface, however, I’ve seen quite a bit that our profession can learn from the focus, precision, and ethos of one of the finest US organizations. This

The road to PACS perfection is paved with distractions and pitfalls, Paul Chang, MD, FSIIM, says. Chang is professor of radiology, vice chair of radiology informatics, and medical director of enterprise imaging at University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois. During the 2010 Dwyer Lecture, “The Role of Imaging Informatics in the Next Generation