Imaging Healthcare Specialists (“IHS”), a 30-radiologist practice based in San Diego, California, has a simple ethos driving its business decisions. “We view ourselves, first and foremost, as a medical practice,” Thomas Cleary, president and COO of Imaging Health- care Specialists, explains. “Every day, every employee who works for us is making an impact on patients’ lives.”

Medical practices have arrived at a juncture where the importance of business intelligence to strategic planning and growth cannot be ignored, says Scott Law, founder and CEO of Zotec Partners. “Physicians are, first and foremost, scientists, and historically they have focused on the science of their discipline as opposed to the business side of medicine,” he says. “In the current environment of evolving health care delivery and reimbursement models, the key to survival is finding ways to differentiate yourself—not only through productivity and efficiency, but also through quality and improved outcomes, which we are really beginning to be able to measure for the first time.”

Perhaps because they don’t hang a sign out front, they aren’t located in one place, and they are (in a sense) virtual, accountable-care organizations (ACOs) have quietly blanketed nearly half the nation

If on-site radiologists want to distinguish themselves from other image-reading specialists or teleradiologists, they must be more than image readers, according to Vijay Rao, MD, David C. Levin professor and radiology chair at Jefferson University Hospitals (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania). On December 1, 2011, she presented “Value-added Services of

In recent years, health-care reform (in all its guises) has spurred providers to investigate new methods and models for delivering services to inpatients and outpatients alike. Some do not affect radiology, but others have major ramifications for the way that imaging is delivered, managed, and paid for, as well as for the integration of radiology

Growth in imaging utilization has led prior authorization (a 1980s health-plan strategy) to be applied to advanced imaging services. RBMs have developed increasingly complex programs to reduce imaging expenses through utilization management, credentialing, channeling to lower-cost providers, and network contracting.

Radiologists are clinicians consultants. We direct clinical management based on our expert interpretation of patient images. Yet, in many cases, radiology reports may not reflect our clinical expertise. Common problems include overuse of vague terminology and omission of the impression. Addressing these flaws can go a long way toward meeting clinicians needs and improving patient care.

Wilson Wong, MD, was there when teleradiology took off, almost 15 years ago. Back then, there was a radiologist shortage, and Wong saw a way to increase the efficiency of coverage and bring some relief to other radiologists who were laboring (as he was) under the constant burden of on-call night work.