No one has played a greater role in transforming practice patterns in radiology than Paul S. Berger, MD. As the founder and CEO of NightHawk Radiology, Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, Berger launched the company that not only dramatically improved the sleep patterns of US radiologists, but also ushered in an era of distributed reading of radiological studies

In my 25 years of informationtechnology management in four completely different industries (distribution, agricultural biotechnology, process manufacturing, and now health care), I have found that if information technology is considered a strategic resource, rather than purely a costsaving resource, the system’s efforts will be more likely to

EACH YEAR, THE CMS OFFICE of the Actuary and the National Health Expenditure Accounts (NHEA) Team compile figures reflecting US health expenditures, and the results are published, with analysis, in Health Affairs.1 Because the methodology used to acquire and evaluate the data changes very little (if at all) from one year to the next, this annual

Diagnostic imaging centers continued their growth trajectory well into 2007, according to the latest Diagnostic Imaging Center Report from Verispan, Yardley, Pa. As of November 2007, Verispan had identified 6,414 freestanding diagnostic imaging centers in the United States, a 6.2% increase from the previous year. Though the number of imaging

Are exclusive hospital contracts negotiable? Of course they are, but when a hospital provides a radiology group with an exclusive contract, the hospital may give the impression that it is a form agreement, ready for signature. What the hospital does not tell you is that these form agreements frequently are heavily negotiated.

It was 20 years ago, almost to the day, that I created and launched the first issue of Imaging Economics, a publication that its editor, Cheryl Proval, and I subsequently built into a substantive magazine focused on the broad economic issues facing a then-transforming profession.

Considerable benefits accrue to the institution when approaching PACS outside the radiology box.

Veterans will confirm that there is no perfect practice merger, but by following the signposts and avoiding the pitfalls, it is possible to craft a merger that works well for both parties. Nicole Palmer, CPA, has shepherded dozens of practice mergers in her role as client support for Management Services Network, Charlotte, NC, and she shared the