CMMI Gives Altarum $8.4M to Limit Unnecessary Imaging

Matthew Skoufalos | | Radiology Business | Business Intelligence
The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation (CMMI) awarded $8.4 million to the Alarum Institute, a consulting group headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI, to help limit unnecessary medical imaging in Southeast Michigan. In partnership with the United Physicians network and the Detroit Medical Center Physician Hospital Organization, Alarum says it will drive wider adoption of ACR appropriateness criteria (updated last week), educate patients about when a study might be unnecessary, and work to educate referring physicians about when a patient’s history might be sufficient to preclude additional imaging studies. “The three-year project will embed clinical guidelines in the image ordering process, leverage health information exchange capabilities to increase awareness of past imaging results and use patient education campaigns to offset patient-induced demand for medically unnecessary imaging,” according to an Altarum press release.

Matthew Skoufalos

Related Content

Orano Med breaks ground on $265M thorium production site
Image-interpretation market scoreboard: Radiologists 72%, others 28%
Lantheus lands rights to budding radiopharmaceuticals for initial outlay of $35M
17 short-term strategies to address the national radiologist shortage
‘SR’ onboards another independent practice, its 1st in the Natural State
Analysis: Allied radiology professionals generate millions of dollars per year in indirect revenues alone

Around the web

Health Imaging
Nearly $800,000 settlement offered to family of man who died during MRI exam

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

Cardiovascular Business
Global shortage of nuclear imaging isotopes may be over

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.

Cardiovascular Business
‘A huge win’: CMS significantly increases Medicare payments for cardiac CT

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.