HFMA has assembled a task force to address the issue of price transparency in health care, according to Joe Fifer, HFMA president and CEO, who made the announcement Tuesday at the annual conference in Orlando

As the demands placed on hospitals and health systems continue to intensify, the hospital-based radiology group will have to evolve to meet its constituents’ changing needs, according to Chad Calendine, MD, CMO of Optimal Radiology Partners. “It’s a story that is being written as we speak,” he says. “The underlying principle is that radiology groups need to be more aligned with their hospitals, and they have to be conspicuously and actively involved in helping the hospitals reach their goals.”

At Charlotte Orthopedic Hospital (COH) in North Carolina, a change similar to that happening in many hospitals across the country is underway: The facility is becoming more strongly linked to its parent organization, Novant Health. As Charnaye Bosley, RT, manager of radiology at COH, explains, “Where before, each facility kind of stood on its own and practiced what was best for it, now we’re all more deeply connected. We have a large footprint in and outside of the Charlotte community, but patients didn’t realize what a large network we have. Our goal, moving forward, is to be integrated, and part of my role is making that transition as smooth as possible.”

The emergence of a new, powerful imaging modality is cause for both celebration and consternation, and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has proven no exception to this rule, according to participants in a June 8 educational forum at the 2013 meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM), held in Grapevine, Texas. Early results from sites offering DBT to their patients have been nothing short of extraordinary: X-ray Associates of New Mexico (XRANM) in Albuquerque, for instance, reports a 48% reduction in its recall rate, while the University of Pittsburg Medical Center (UPMC) in Pennsylvania has seen a 40% increase in detection of invasive breast cancers, with a reduction in false positives of 15%.

When contemplating a potential transaction between an imaging center and a hospital, including the appropriate people and committing to transparent communication between the parties are essential to promoting a successful transaction environment. In order to achieve the desired goals of both parties, several key individuals should be active participants during the entire deal cycle, including the administrator and/or key executive from the center, a hospital representative, legal counsel for both parties, and an experienced valuation company.

In writing, thinking, and speaking about the challenges of preventing the commoditization of radiology, an oft-cited issue is the fact that many radiologists are not patient facing in their roles. The radiologist’s primary product is the report, and the report is meant for the referring physician.

A contestant on NBC's reality show America's Got Talent is hoping to win by using a fluoroscope system to prove his sword swallowing act is real

Attempting to create some clarity around issues like when and how to discuss payment for services with patients, the Healthcare Financial Management Association (HFMA) has issued a set of guidelines as part of its Patient Financial Interactions Best Practices Project