Judging by the passion of the presenters at the 2014 RSNA meeting in Chicago, measuring quality in radiology is no mere academic pursuit.

University Radiology Group, one of the largest private radiology practices in the US, announced today that it has hired Bill Ziemke, J.D., LL.M., CPA, MBA, to be its next Chief Executive Officer.

Did radiology turn a corner at the 100th meeting of RSNA? I think so.  For 10 years, imaging informaticists and PACS vendors have talked about the enterprise versus the departmental view, but this year it was in the booths and clearly in practice as many radiologists shared strategies for handling all of the imaging needs of the enterprise, including both DICOM and non-DICOM images (more about that next week).

RSNA, CHICAGO—Judging by the passion of the presenters, measuring quality in radiology is no mere academic pursuit. 

Twenty years after Roentgen made his “stunning discovery” of the x-ray, the first meeting of what would become the Radiological Society of North America was held in Chicago. “Some were still traveling with horse and carriage,” N. Reed Dunnick, MD, RSNA president, noted in his President’s Address to the 100th gathering on Nov. 30th in Chicago. The one thing that hasn’t changed since then, he added, is the radiologist’s desire to find a better way to do things. “Today’s standard of medical care would not have been possible without the discoveries and contributions of radiologists over the last 100 years,” he said.

BLUFFTON, SC AND FRANKLIN, TN – December 4, 2014 – CareCore National, LLC ("CareCore") and MedSolutions, Inc. ("MedSolutions"), two leading providers of Specialty Benefits Management (SBM) services to managed care organizations and risk-bearing provider organizations, today announced the completion of a merger that will help advance the companies‘ collective commitment to containing healthcare costs and achieving quality medical outcomes.

The Wall Street Journal released sobering analysis of basic spending by the American middle class this week based on consumer spending data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The report puts into stark relief the rising role of consumerism in healthcare delivery: Healthcare spending was up 24% and income rose a mere half percentage point.

RSNA, CHICAGO—A patient-controlled system of sharing diagnostic images over the Internet rather than by CDs is doable for providers and desirable to patients—including older folks.