Management

This page includes content on healthcare management, including health system, hospital, department and clinic business management and administration. Areas of focus are on cardiology and radiology department business administration. Subcategories covered in this section include healthcare economics, reimbursement, leadership, mergers and acquisitions, policy and regulations, practice management, quality, staffing, and supply chain.

FDA Warns Philips to Fix Problems at Imaging Equipment Manufacturing Facility

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent Philips Healthcare of North Andover, Mass, a warning that its manufacturing methods at an Ohio facility that produces CT and nuclear medicine systems do not conform with required current good manufacturing processes.

California Radiologist, Neurologist Charged With Insurance Fraud

Two physicians and two of their co-workers have been indicted for a $17 million workers’ compensation insurance overbilling scheme, the Orange County, Calif. District Attorney’s Office (OCDA) and the California Department of Insurance (CDI) announced earlier this week.

Clinical Improvement On Tap, But Data Analysis Tools Still Required

Healthcare organizations are embracing the need for information transparency to drive clinical transformation. Nonetheless, they still require the tools and capabilities to make data available in real time and reduce the burden on scarce resources.

Proposed Bill Would Set Standards For Imaging Professionals

Radiology providers treating Medicare recipients may have an additional hoop through which to jump in serving this patient population. A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives proposes to set minimum education and certification standards for technical personnel who plan, offer, and deliver imaging exams and radiation therapy

New Meaningful Use Guidance May Aid Teleradiology Providers

Radiologists seeking to comply with the EHR Incentive Program (aka "meaningful use") got a bit of a break last week as the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) clarified its position on what counts as "seen by" an eligible professional (EP).

The Radiologist’s Changing Role: A Q & A With Frank Seidelmann, DO

Radisphere

The radiology industry is undergoing tectonic changes as a result of declining reimbursements, ever-improving technology, and the emergence of innovative new delivery models. Though much has been written about the impact of these changes on the industry as a whole, the role of the radiologist in this evolving marketplace is often overlooked. Frank

Countdown to CMS Accreditation Nears Zero Hour

American College of Radiology (ACR)

As the January 1, 2012, deadline nears for mandatory accreditation of advanced diagnostic imaging facilities, concerned ACR officials have issued the equivalent of football’s two-minute warning, urging sidelined providers to mobilize and apply today. Government regulators have already reaffirmed their refusal to grant extensions, setting the stage

CT Coding Changes Impact 2011 Imaging-center Valuations

VMG

Judging solely by the number of imaging engagements at our company during the first half of 2011, imaging transactions continue at a frantic pace. For the most part, there are not any new trends to report in imaging valuations. Discount rates, multiples, and the primary value drivers—competition, volumes, reimbursement, and capital-expenditure

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.