Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

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ACR hopes new quality metric could boost lung cancer screening rates to 70%

The National Committee for Quality Assurance is taking public comment on the health plan quality metric until March 13. 

lung cancer pulmonary nodule chest

Radiologists overlook lung lesion on X-ray leading to nearly 5-year cancer diagnosis delay

The controversy dates to February 2017 when a woman complaining of coughing underwent imaging, and a rad misinterpreted an abnormality as a "nipple shadow."

quality

ACR wants Medicare to add more radiology measures in MIPS quality pay program

Radiology advocates believe the value-based payment program needs more measures to support radiologists in meeting performance requirements. 

doctor examines patient data on their tablet

Clinical decision support fails to reduce inappropriate imaging requests

Experts have touted CDS as a way to reduce waste in the healthcare system—educating referrers about proper order selection while providing relief to radiologists. 

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Automated tracking helps leave no incidental finding behind

Radiology researchers have developed and validated an automated program for tracking incidental imaging findings. The system facilitates communications between radiologists, patients and primary care providers whenever such findings turn up.  

mammography mammogram breast imaging

How 1 radiology department cut its mammography turnaround times by 39%

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Michigan Medicine saw its peak processing of breast images climb to 198 hours or about 8.25 days, necessitating changes. 

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Payment incentives fail to push physicians toward MRI surveillance of low-risk prostate cancer

BCBS of Michigan has sought to push urologists away from aggressive treatment for low-risk cancer, offering a payment perk to shift their approach. 

Christoph Wald, MD, vice chair of the ACR Board, explains the new ACR Assess-AI national data registry tracks performance of clinical AI algorithms.

ACR Assess-AI national data registry tracks performance of clinical algorithms

Christoph Wald, MD, vice chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors, explains how the new Assess-AI National Radiology Data Registry is designed to help monitor accuracy and other metrics for radiology artificial intelligence.

 

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The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.