The federal Stark Law and the Maryland self-referral law have one key difference: Unlike the Stark Law, the Maryland law specifies which modalities meet the in-office ancillary imaging exception (IOAE). Quadri et al explore the implications of that key point of differentiation and its impact on results, in the latest issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

In a comment letter on CMS’s proposed approval of the Cologuard stool DNA test, ACR reminds the agency that CT colonography (CTC) does a superior job of detecting large advanced adenomas and asks that the same coverage standard used for the stool test be applied to CTC, for which CMS denied coverage in 2009.

Even though Los Angeles is roasting, I’m certain that I feel an extra chill in the morning and evening air. Maybe it’s just that I know fall is around the corner, but I feel what I know: Summer is coming to a close. 

Reston, Va. (Aug. 25, 2014) — Radiology professionals who want to grow and develop as leaders in today’s dynamic health care environment will embark on a unique, three-day leadership challenge at the Radiology Leadership Institute® (RLI) Expedition Feb. 13­–15, 2015, at the OMNI Dallas Hotel. The RLI Expedition will provide a radiology-specific, scenario-based learning experience that will enable attendees to put new leadership skills immediately into practice. The RLI was awarded a grant to support the Expedition by The Physicians Foundation, a national nonprofit that seeks to advance the work of practicing physicians and help facilitate the delivery of health care to patients. 

This week the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA), the federal office that acts as watchdog to the IRS,  issued a report stating that the revenue generated by the medical device tax fell seriously short of expectations, generating $913.4 million in Q2 and Q3 2013 versus the anticipated $1.2 billion. The revenue from this tax is earmarked to pay for healthcare insurance expansion under the Affordable Care Act.

The medical device tax, a key source of funding for the Affordable Care Act (ACA), fell 25 percent short of revenue expectations, says the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA) in a report released this week.

Walgreens chief financial officer and its pharmacy chief lost their jobs to a billion dollar projection error in its Medicare-related business.

The formation of a new health information exchange was recently announced in California that would make the medical records of nine million patients, representing more than a quarter of the state’s population, available to network physicians and hospitals.