For decades, the radiology practice partnership model has been the dominant form of imaging delivery. Change, however, is afoot. Health-care reform and other factors are driving the development of new imaging-delivery models that merit a close look, if imaging providers are to weather the storm of change that is remaking the health-care landscape.

The Medicare and Medicaid Electronic Health Record (EHR) Incentive Programs provide for incentive payments to eligible professional who are meaningful users of certified EHR technology—and future downward adjustments for eligible professionals who fail to demonstrate meaningful use. The Medicare version of the program is generally applicable to

Now that digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) has gained FDA approval, many breast-imaging providers find themselves excited about the new technology, but facing uncertainty about reimbursement, implementation, and interpretation workflow. There remain a number of questions related to the display of (and approach to interpreting) DBT that need to be

The annual meeting of the RSNA, already one of the largest medical conferences in the world, stands to reach new proportions this year. Total registrations for the 2011 meeting in Chicago, Illinois, which starts November 27, are up 7% over 2010’s total.

Top-down, authoritarian leadership in health care’s new era of collaboration is likely to find its currency on the decline. Particularly in a wired specialty such as radiology, leaders will be challenged to engage an increasingly distributed workforce in the broader team approach called for by new delivery models in health care.

Tilting toward RSNA and entering the home stretch of 2011, I haven’t had a lot of time to reflect on the year, but I know that I am not alone. Everywhere I go, I hear a common chorus (no time!) followed by a plaintive refrain (at least I still have a job).

I have great optimism for the survival of the practice of radiology. I believe that many groups will thrive, and that there is the opportunity for continued professional satisfaction. For many of us, however, success will need to be redefined.

The transition to bundled health care payments remains several years away, with certain obstacles impeding progress in that direction, reveals a study by non-profit research organization Rand Corp.