As web portals become a bigger part of our healthcare system, are patients taking advantage of that access? According to a recent study published in Academic Radiology, a majority of patients given access to online radiology reports did view them.

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – (June 8, 2016) – Zotec Partners (Zotec), the industry-leading provider of radiology revenue cycle and practice management services, announces a revenue cycle management (RCM) services renewal with Georgia-based Radiology Associates of Macon (RAM), a private, multi-specialty radiology group that offers state-of-the-art digital imaging technology. In the extended agreement, Zotec will continue to manage the practice’s revenue cycle by employing superior billing processes, proprietary technology, and a team of radiology experts. 

Stephanie Justice, a student pursuing a career in radiology at Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas, was a foosball champion in her younger days. 

Radiology Partners announced this week that Joseph C. Mello had been appointed to the company’s board of directors. Mello currently works with HealthCare Partners, a division of DaVita Healthcare Partners, as chief operating officer. 

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) Board of Governors recently approved $7.5 million in funding for a clinical effectiveness research study led by Diana L. Miglioretti, PhD, dean’s professor in biostatistics at the University of California, Davis. 

Reimbursements for I-123 ioflupane (DaTscan), a radiopharmaceutical used in dopamine transporter imaging to differentiate Parkinson’s disease from essential tremor or normalcy, decreased significantly in the years after gaining FDA approval, according to a study published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Should practices expect this to be the pattern for other radiopharmaceuticals in the future?

Connecticut Governor Dannel P. Malloy has signed a bill that requires insurance companies to cover breast tomosynthesis. The bipartisan legislation, H.B. 5233, passed the Connecticut House of Representatives by a vote of 139-3 in April. The Senate then voted unanimously in favor of the bill in early May. 

The American College of Radiology supports the Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) efforts to address the challenges that exist within its health system but draws the line with the VA proposal that would allow advanced practice nurses to practice independently of a physician’s clinical oversight, regardless of individual state law, stating that the change could lower the quality of care for veterans.