Demand for radiation therapy will exceed the number of radiation oncologists practicing in the U.S. by ten-fold between 2010 and 2020, according to research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Care Center.

There is a growing national discussion focused on the business model of publishing, in this era of niche media—especially as it relates to how we, as information consumers, prefer to receive and access this information. Actually, the discussion is not new at all, since so-called narrowcasting has been in the media-management lexicon for a number of

As the diagnostic work-up for breast cancer has become more complex, often involving multiple imaging modalities, the surgeon-centered diagnostic paradigm in breast care has become less efficient. With the introduction of breast MRI into the diagnostic armamentarium, the need for a new radiologist-centered work-up became evident.

Defining quality in radiology seems simple: It’s an accurate diagnosis or interpretation, provided in a timely manner, in a clear and easy-to-follow report. The devil is always in the details, though.

Decision support might be able to remove the target taped to radiology’s back, according to a tandem presentation that was made by two of the specialty’s respected leaders on May 3, 2010, at the annual meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society in San Diego, California. Pat A. Basu, MD, MBA, explained how that target came to be there in the first

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire, a team that included members of the radiology department, centralized scheduling, a floor nurse, and the COO entered a room with the goal of improving the satisfaction of customers (including patients, physicians, and nurses). The team emerged, five days later, with a plan to implement eight

Anne Daley, a senior consultant at Chi Solutions Inc, Ann Arbor, Michigan, offers a few examples of easy-to-implement lean activities that can lead to important process changes for radiology (while acclimating both leaders and staff to the new methods). “When you first start doing lean services, in my opinion, if you want to gain the biggest value,

Lean services, Six Sigma™, and continuous process improvement: Call them what you will, techniques derived from the now-famous Toyota Production System (TPS) are growing in popularity as a means for health-care providers (and radiology, in particular) to reduce costs and improve efficiency and care—with minimal capital outlay.