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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Malignant architectural distortion ably diagnosed on breast imaging by human-AI combo

Combining ensemble AI models with reads from breast radiologists of mixed experience levels can help health systems consistently diagnose malignant architectural distortion on mammography.

‘The debate continues’: Steroid injections to arthritic knees and hips found significantly safer than previously shown

Of 1,000 patients injected with corticosteroids under fluoroscopic guidance at an academic medical center over a 4½-year period, only 10 experienced serious complications within a year. 

Academic surveyors find 56% of consumers anticipate better healthcare through AI

More than 40% of Americans are generally OK with the thought of AI reading their chest x-rays. Moreover, some 12.3% are very comfortable with the prospect.

Links to 20 new and revised American College of Radiology appropriate use criteria

The American College of Radiology (ACR) released the latest edition of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria

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American College of Radiology updates imaging appropriateness criteria with 5 new topics

ACR’s additions cover scenarios including imaging after breast surgery, fibroids, hernias, pediatric ataxia, and follow-up for esophageal cancer. 

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Use of unnecessary neuroimaging for patients with dizziness prevalent in outpatient settings

Quality improvement efforts have sought to address such low-value diagnostic testing in the ED, with little attention paid to ambulatory settings, experts wrote in JAMA

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Notable names among 22 sites joining ACR’s new initiative to improve cancer diagnostics

Those include Radiology Partners, Solis Mammography, Cleveland Clinic, Stanford Health Care and Intermountain, among others, the college announced Thursday. 

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Cancer screening in need of ‘urgent attention’ to address lingering effects from COVID shutdowns

Accredited U.S. programs have reported sizable monthly screening deficits for lung, breast, and colorectal cancer, researchers reported recently. 

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.