The Access to Medical Imaging Coalition released a statement Thursday applauding CMS for its proposal that clinician consultation of appropriate use criteria (AUC) related to advanced imaging services be considered a high-weighted improvement activity for the 2018 Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) performance period.

The RSNA Research and Education (R&E) will award $4 million in grants in 2017, funding 30 percent of all grant applications. 50 institutions from across the globe will receive grants funding for a variety of research and educational objectives, including a sorely-needed overhaul to radiology policy education.

A draft verison of the Senate's iteration of the American Health Care Act will be released on Thursday, according to Politico. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, appears to be sticking to his guns by moving towards a vote on the healthcare bill before the July 4 recess.

The shift from volume to value puts a premium on the patient experience. Radiologists can do their part with effective physician-patient communication, but a survey published in Radiology shows a disconnect between the values espoused by leaders and the ground-level practices of radiology departments today.

45 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to the Secretary of Health and Human Services and the Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, imploring against future cuts to lung cancer screening reimbursement.

Stryker Corporation has announced an agreement to acquire NOVADAQ Technologies, a firm specializing in fluorescence imaging technology used in surgery. The $701 million definitive agreement between Stryker and the Greater Toronto-based Novadaq is expected to close at the end of the third quarter.

Communication with referring physicians is essential in radiology, but it often becomes stressful and frustrating for radiologists when they struggle to track down the right person. This can lead to workflow delays that chip away at various quality metrics and have a negative impact on patient care. In a recent case study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, Eduardo J. Matta, MD, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and colleagues worked to improve communication between radiologists and referring physicians by implementing a new, PACS-based software solution.

Two patients from Royal Adelaide Hospital (RAH) in Australia died in April after suffering strokes, and documents now reveal that schedule issues caused significant delays in their care. In each instance, the hospital’s two interventional neuroradiologists had the day off when the patients came in for care, meaning no specialists with proper training were on site. Another specialist was brought in from his own private practice—but not without a long delay in care.