Best of April: UnitedHealth sues Rad Partners | Envision eyes bankruptcy | ROI on AI | Softening labor market

Legal actions dominated the headlines in April, with none bigger than the nation’s largest commercial insurer filing suit against its biggest radiology practice. Elsewhere, the oldest imaging society in the U.S. took hotelier Marriott to court over dollars allegedly owed after the relocation of its 2023 annual meeting. A Nashville multispecialty group (including radiology) is now talking to lawyers about a possible bankruptcy filing, and a Virginia physician prevailed in a $10M case alleging medical malpractice.

As always, thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your week. —Marty Stempniak, Editor

Rad Partners countered, saying the claims are "without merit" and a smokescreen to take attention away from a contract dispute. 

The multispecialty group—which employs about 500 radiologists—is exploring chapter 11 as it grapples with a heavy debt load. 

“Of these, the mismatch between the clinical workload and the available radiologist workforce was foremost," experts wrote in JACR. 

Radiology makes up the vast majority of FDA-cleared AI algorithms, but with minimal or no reimbursement, hospital administrators may ask whether AI’s value justifies its expense.

The American Roentgen Ray Society is seeking $665,523 in damages along with any related attorneys’ fees, according to the complaint.

In a recent ratings update, Moody's labeled the imaging center operator's outlook as "stable," while noting an ongoing hiring crunch in imaging. 

ABR plans on hosting a virtual town hall on Thursday, May 4, to answer questions about changes to its DR oral exam. 

Three members of the specialty recently offered advice to leaders navigating this issue in their organization. 

The estate of a 41-year-old Virginia man claimed that radiologist Thomas Zumsteg missed signs of an aortic dissection on CT.

Founded in 2004, Medica employs 400-plus providers working across 100 hospitals and completing 1.5M radiology reports annually.