+ 2011’s Top 20 Imaging-center Chains: Second Annual Report

+ New Payment Models and the Radiology Practice

+ Productivity Pressure: IT Unlocks New Radiologist and Referrer Capabilities

+ Quantum Leap: Radiology Groups Consolidate to Grow

+ Value-based Purchasing: From Theory to Practice

+ Forecasting Imaging Use Under Health-care Reform

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+ CT and MRI: Regional Variations in Utilization and Reimbursement

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+ Hospital-based Versus Freestanding Outpatient Imaging Services

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+ Cost Comparison: Hospital-based Versus Freestanding Outpatient Imaging Services

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+ Radiology-group Financial Performance

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+ Outpatient Imaging Utilization Trends

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+ The Radiology Staffing Market, Temporary and Permanent

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+ imagingBiz newswire

FDA Sounds Breast Thermography Warning

Posted: June 07, 2011

Breast thermography should not be employed as a standalone screening tool independent of mammography for either breast screening or diagnosis, says the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in...

RBM Benefits Unclear, Researchers Say

Posted: June 01, 2011

While the six largest radiology benefits management firms (RBMs) cover an estimated 88 million privately insured Americans, there still exists only limited information to trumpet their cost-effectiveness or positive impact on patient...

Congressmen To MedPAC: Re-Examine Utilization Data

Posted: June 01, 2011

Questioning the validity of its conclusion that medical imaging has comprised a major driver of Medicare spending growth, Reps. Joseph Pitts (R-Pennsylvania) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-New Jersey) are urging the...

Rule Would Clear Path For EHR ‘Access Reports’

Posted: June 01, 2011

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office for Civil Rights yesterday proposed a rule that would allow patients to obtain “access reports” listing the names of...

CMS Eases ‘Burdensome’ IT Rules

Posted: May 31, 2011

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a revised rule designed to streamline the telemedicine physician-credentialing process. Published in the Federal Register on May 5 (http://www.gpo.gov...

Medicare Reimbursements For Bone Density Scans To See Drastic Reduction

Posted: May 31, 2011

Medicare reimbursements for energy X-ray absorpitometry and DXA procedures are slated to be cut in half by January 1, 2012 as lawmakers scramble to avert the reductions.

Members of the U...

Functional MRI May Be Early Autism Indicator

Posted: May 31, 2011

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may serve as an early and objective indicator of autism, according to a study slated for publication in the August issue of Radiology. Already posted online,...

AMA Seeks Strategic Changes To Proposed ACO Policies

Posted: May 29, 2011

The American Medical Association (AMA) yesterday submitted comments to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DOJ) on their proposed policy regarding antitrust enforcement of Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs)....

Breast Cancer Deaths Higher For Women With Hodgkin’s Lymphoma History

Posted: May 29, 2011

Women who develop breast cancer after having had Hodgkin’s lymphoma are more likely than other breast cancer patients to have bilateral disease and to die from other causes, say researchers...

CDI Names New Executive Chairman, CEO

Posted: May 29, 2011

Center for Diagnostic Imaging (CDI), which owns, manages, and operates outpatient imaging centers in nine states, has appointed Robert V. Baumgartner to the position of Executive Chairman of the Board...

Fear Of Lawsuits Spurs Test-Ordering By ER Physicians

Posted: May 26, 2011

A desire to protect themselves from medical liability lawsuits may be as much of a motivator as patients’ best interests in spurring emergency room (ER) physicians to order tests, reveals a...

Senators Request Withdrawal Of Proposed ACO Rule

Posted: May 26, 2011

Claiming that it “misses the target” of better care at lower costs, seven U.S. senators have asked the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to withdraw its proposed rule...

TSA Tests: Radiation From Scanners At Acceptable Levels

Posted: May 26, 2011

Radiation emitted by full-body scanners installed at airports is within acceptable levels, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said on Tuesday. The agency performed new tests on the scanners as a follow-up...

OIG Audit Reveals Omissions In ONC Health Care IT Standards

Posted: May 25, 2011

The U.S. Office of the National Coordinator (ONC) has made a critical omission en route to achieving Meaningful Use adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), reveals a U.S. Department of...

Survey Shows Perceived Lack Of Clarity In FDA Medical Device Requirements

Posted: May 25, 2011

Requirements for obtaining Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval are “uncertain” or “unclear”, say 75% of medical device industry officials who participated in an online survey conducted from December 22, 2010 through February 22, 2011.

...

Solis Names Polfreman President, CEO

Posted: May 25, 2011

Solis Women’s Health, the nation’s largest independent provider of screening and diagnostic imaging services for breast cancer, has appointed James Polfreman to the position of president and CEO. Polfreman...

Study Says Medicare Would Benefit From RBM Adoption

Posted: May 22, 2011

The fee-for-service Medicare program and its beneficiaries would reap significant savings if Radiology Benefits Management (RBM) programs were adopted by Medicare, according to a recent study by Magellan Health Services....

Stringent Gadolinium Contrast Guidelines An Antidote To NSF

Posted: May 22, 2011

Measuring a patient’s glomerular rate before administering a gadolinium-based contrast agent (GBCA) can eliminate new cases of nephrogenic systemic fibrosis (NSF), according to a study conducted by researchers at...

Siemens Healthcare Names New CEO

Posted: May 21, 2011

Siemens Healthcare has announced the appointment of Gregory Sorensen, MD, as CEO of Siemens Healthcare in the U.S., effective June 1. Sorensen succeeds Randy Hill, who had served...

Digital Marketing To Dominate In Two Years

Posted: May 18, 2011

Reflecting a trend taking hold in many vertical sectors, digital channels will overtake traditional ones in conveying hospitals’ marketing messages, according to a survey of more than 100 hospitals and healthcare systems...

Radiologists Urge Modifications To Meaningful Use Draft Guidelines

Posted: May 18, 2011

Representatives from five medical specialties—radiologists among them—last week offered their final proposed changes to the draft guidelines for Stage 2 of the U.S. government’s Meaningful Use Stimulus Program....

PCORI Names Selby Executive Director

Posted: May 18, 2011

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI), established by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to conduct comparative clinical effectiveness research, has named Joe V. Selby, MD, M.P.H., as...

Medicare Trust Fund To Run Out In 2024, Report Says

Posted: May 16, 2011

Medicare’s Hospital Insurance Fund (HI Trust Fund) will be totally depleted in 2024, five years earlier than originally projected, according to the Medicare Trustees Report issued last Friday.

The...

Health Care Job Growth Remains On Upswing

Posted: May 16, 2011

The health care sector continues to flourish, adding more than 37,000 jobs in April 2011 and 295,000 jobs since April of 2010, reveals employment data released last week by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

MR Knee Coil Receives FDA Clearance

Posted: May 16, 2011

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has cleared for use Toshiba America Medical Systems’ extra-large knee array coil for the Vantage TitanTM MR system. Toshiba claims to be the...

Group Alleges Critical Omission From Imaging Agent Study

Posted: May 12, 2011

U.S. consumer group Public Citizen is alleging that researchers with ties to Eli Lilly and Co. withheld from the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) important information that should...

ACR Introduces Dose Index Registry

Posted: May 12, 2011

The American College of Radiology (ACR) has launched the Dose Index Registry (DIR), a vehicle to which medical imaging facilities can submit anonymized dose information for all CT exams performed and...

Technology Receives Modular EHR Certification

Posted: May 12, 2011

INFINITT North America, a provider of image and information management solutions for healthcare, yesterday announced that its INFINITT G3 RIS/PACS system has been tested and certified as meeting the Modular...

HHS: Few Uninsured Patients Can Afford Hospital Bills

Posted: May 10, 2011

Few families without health insurance have the financial assets to pay potential hospital bills, reveals a new report released today by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)....

SWI Serves As Powerful Tool For Characterizing Infarctions

Posted: May 10, 2011

Susceptibility-weighted imaging (SWI) is a powerful tool for characterizing infarctions in patients earlier and directing more prompt treatment, according to a study presented last week at the annual meeting of the...