Change is coming to radiology in ways the profession could not have anticipated in a pre-Affordable Care Act world. The forces driving the change are many and varied—economic, regulatory, technology-enabled—but one common denominator has emerged as the “cardiopulmonary system” of the transformation: hospitals under intense pressure to perform in order to survive.

In ancient Roman times, all roads led to Rome. From one monument in central Rome, all roads began and distances were measured. Today, the patient is at the center of care—with success measured in wellness, improved outcomes, reduced variability, increased quality and higher patient engagement and patient satisfaction scores. Monumental for sure. But how do we make the patient journey better and how do radiology departments engage to help the process? Global radiology leaders weigh in.

The Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) has launched a new brand for the society and its research organization—SIR Foundation—in an effort to demonstrate the its commitment to patient-driven care while highlighting the power and potential of interventional radiology

RadiologyBusiness.com recently caught up with N. Reed Dunnick, MD, president of the Radiological Society of North America and the Fred Jenner Hodges Professor and chair of the Department of Radiology at the University of Michigan Health System for a short interview on some of the challenges facing radiology as we head into the new year. 

The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) has named Peter Weems as the organization’s new policy director.

The single most interesting and, in retrospect, forward-looking comment I heard at RSNA wasn’t spoken during the several sessions and press conferences I attended, enlightening and fascinating as those were. It didn’t rise above the drone of the exhibit halls, exciting as so many of the product displays and booth discussions proved to be. 

As the year winds down and thoughts turn to 2015, it’s always a good idea to look back and review where we have been and what has transpired since we passed this way before. For radiology, 2014 was a year of great importance.

Neuroradiologist Clifford J. Belden, MD, was appointed Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health System’s chief clinical officer and executive vice president, integrated delivery system.