Business Intelligence

Providers utilize business intelligence to monitor referral patterns and collaborate with clinicians who order their services. Such analytics tools have also been deployed in the specialty to improve productivity, track patient satisfaction and bolster quality.

GE Kicks off Low-Dose Blueprint with 16-CT Sale to North Shore-Long Island

From the Center for Advanced Medicine at the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in Success Lake, NY, GE announced Thursday a whopping 16-CT sale to the facility as a demonstration of the viability of its new low-dose facility blueprint.

AZ Family Practice Doc Launches Comparison Pricing Tool for Imaging Patients

A family physician from Show Low, AZ has launched a competitive pricing website for patients who need diagnostic imaging studies but can't afford to pay full price.

NY Breast Density Inform Law Heads to Governor Cuomo's Desk

Women’s health legislation in New York took another step forward today with the bicameral passage of a Breast Density Inform law that would place more information in the hands of patients.

Specialty Groups Praise AMA Mammography Recommendations, Say They Should Have Been Consulted Earlier

A pair of AMA policy positions announced yesterday—recommending formally that women should begin having routine mammography at age 40, and that insurers should adjust their policies to reflect this—were met with praise from imaging and disease specialty groups, who added that they should have been a part of the process from the beginning.

Norton Healthcare Acquires Lifescan Louisville

Outpatient diagnostic imaging center Lifescan Louisville has been acquired by the large not-for-profit health care system Norton Healthcare.

CDC Study Calls for Improving Coverage, Data for Breast Cancer Screenings

A new report released by the CDC on breast cancer screening among American women highlights lowering expenditures and improving insurance coverage as keys to improving mammography rates.

AMA Affirms 40 as Age for Mammograms, Calls for Increased Coverage

Three new AMA policy recommendations were announced today at the annual meeting of the association, including a position that 40 should be the new mandatory age for mammography, and that insurers should adjust their coverages accordingly.

MedPAC Pushes for Greater Contributions, Caps to Mixed Review in Senate

In an effort to curb spiraling healthcare costs, MedPAC, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, proposed a pair of new measures to insulate seniors from price increases while asking those who buy supplemental insurance to kick in a little extra.

Around the web

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.