Turbulent Waters

September 02, 2010 | The Bottom Line

The current environment in radiology is changing quickly—and the pace of change is accelerating. Radiologists are accustomed to change. In fact, some would say that radiology is the primary field of change, but never has the pace of change been so rapid. In addition to the new technological... Read More »

Adjusting Focus: Patient-centered Radiology

August 15, 2010 | Imaging Futures

Having cold water dashed in one’s face can result in spluttering, but it can be welcome when an effective wake-up call is needed. Both reactions to a 2010 article¹ abstract on patient-centered radiology might be... Read More »

When Your Quality Is Questioned: Answers From Frank Seidelmann, DO

August 15, 2010 | Quality

Recent media coverage of a radiologist’s accusations of inaccuracy against Radisphere National Radiology Group, Cleveland, Ohio, returns the question of quality to the forefront of discussion in the radiology community. ImagingBiz spoke with Frank Seidelmann, DO,... Read More »

What Imaging Leaders Should Know About Teamwork

August 15, 2010 | The Big Picture

The following is not a trick question: What does the US Army’s legendary 82nd Airborne Division have in common with today’s medical-imaging profession? On the surface, probably not a lot; beneath the surface, however, I’ve seen quite a bit that our profession can learn from the... Read More »

Fail-safe: Automating Critical-results Notification

July 26, 2010 | Dashboard Confessions

The radiology department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH), Boston, Massachusetts, developed a policy for communicating critical and discrepant results after the Joint Commission made communications among caregivers a national priority for health-care providers. When the goal was expanded in 2007, the department took the next step and used... Read More »

The Industrial-strength Imaging Executive

July 14, 2010 | The Big Picture

Today’s medical-imaging profession is definitely not for the fragile and weak-kneed among our colleagues. It is becoming increasingly clear that navigating the constant changes and challenges that face the practice of radiology today will be the ultimate test of tenacity, perseverance, and creativity. We’re in the playoffs... Read More »

Succession Planning for Health-care Organizations

July 14, 2010 | Imaging Futures

According to a 2004 study by the American College of Healthcare Executives, only 21% of 722 hospitals routinely engaged in leadership-succession planning, compared with two out of three for-profit companies in other industries. Will Powley, senior consulting manager for ... Read More »

The Message Is the Medium

July 07, 2010 | Final Read

As a journalism and media student in the early 1970s, I was exposed to what was just then emerging as an entirely new way of aligning the creators of information with those who were hungry to receive it. The selection and nurturing of the media outlets and conduits of... Read More »

Subspecialty Radiology: Beyond the Debate

July 07, 2010 | Feature

The question of whether general radiology is on the path to obsolescence has sparked considerable debate in recent years, with much of the controversy centered on the contention that subspecialty radiologists are responsible for fewer errors than their generalist counterparts. Whether this contention is true or not, the trend... Read More »

From Partner to Employee: The Captive Radiology Practice

July 07, 2010 | Feature

Terry Owen is senior vice president of Florida Hospital in Orlando. He says, “We think the old days of fee for service, the high-water mark, are behind us.” What’s coming is some permutation of the accountable-care organization (ACO), with bundling of payment for services and outcomes-driven treatment. “If... Read More »

Pat Basu, MD, MBA: The Radiologist in the White House

July 07, 2010 | Priors

While radiologists have served in prominent positions in Washington, DC, in the past, none have ever served as White House fellow and special assistant to the president before the recent appointment of Pat Basu, MD, MBA, as one of 13 men and women to serve in the 2010–2011 class of fellows.... Read More »

Mindful Cost Cutting

July 06, 2010 | Priors

Consider this scenario: You have exercised your duties as a manager over the past several years by cutting costs where possible, but now, you have been ordered to make further administrative cost reductions of 10%, 20%, or even 30%, and you cannot fathom how it will be done. Does this sound familiar?<... Read More »

Effective Quality Assurance: Obstacles and Pointers

June 16, 2010 | Quality

As the radiology marketplace matures, becoming increasingly competitive, it’s more important than ever for practices to differentiate themselves based on quality, according to Peter Franklin, MD, chair of radiology for Radisphere National Radiology Group, Cleveland, Ohio. “... Read More »

Scenario Planning for Health-care Organizations

June 16, 2010 | Imaging Futures

If you’re not scenario planning, you’re not planning. This bold assertion, issued in a recent white paper by GE Healthcare, is the driving philosophy behind the company’s $6 billion Read More »

Radiology’s New Normal

June 16, 2010 | The Big Picture

Don’t think that you are alone if the current uncertainty in virtually all aspects of medical imaging is driving you to distraction. Today’s radiology marketplace/profession has become increasingly complex, hypercompetitive, and extremely tense; the traditional relationships are in a constant state of flux. As much as... Read More »

The Tortoise and the Stack Burner

April 29, 2010 | Final Read

You know the tale. In the end, the steady pace of the tortoise won out over the supreme confidence and sheer speed of the hare; the hare simply did not value the focus, commitment, skill set, and tenacity exhibited by the tortoise. There are lots of lessons to be... Read More »

CEO Roundtable: Practice–Hospital Relations

April 29, 2010 | Feature

Leading an independent radiology practice has never been more challenging. Congress has escalated the timetable for reductions to the outpatient-imaging technical component to help pay for health-care reform. Health systems have embarked on a medical-practice–buying spree across specialties and primary care, leading to some very well publicized meltdowns... Read More »

How Hospitals Are Rethinking Imaging

April 29, 2010 | Feature

Diagnostic imaging remains critically important to the bottom lines of individual hospitals and health systems alike, continuing to subsidize many less-profitable and unprofitable service lines while providing predictable growth. A rapidly changing imaging landscape, however, is spurring institutions to alter models for, and methods of, managing their imaging businesses... Read More »

Strategic Radiology: 15 Practices Align for Strength

April 29, 2010 | Feature

Arl Van Moore Jr, MD, FACR, says, “I’m the 50,000-foot guy.” Van Moore chairs Strategic Radiology, LLC, a consortium of 15 major radiology groups linked to pursue cost savings, better patient care, data mining, and pure old-fashioned clout for radiologists. The trouble is that there are many 50,000-foot visionaries... Read More »

Life After Sutter

April 28, 2010 | Practice Management

When news spread that Sutter Health (Sacramento, California) planned to cut loose its long-time radiology provider in Sacramento in favor of a captive model, some observers wondered how Radiological Associates of Sacramento (RAS), a 76-radiologist practice founded in 1917, would survive.

Not only has it sustained the blow,... Read More »

The Problem With Physicians Like Him

April 28, 2010 | Leadership

Author Thomas H. Lee, MD, writes that the problem with medicine is people like him: primarily men, in their 50s and beyond, who learned medicine when it was more about art and less about money. “We were taught to go to the hospital before dawn, stay until our patients... Read More »

Tracking Patient Radiation Dose: IT Implications

April 16, 2010 | Strategic Planning

In February, the FDA announced a new initiative to reduce unnecessary radiation exposure from CT, nuclear-medicine, and fluoroscopy exams. The agency’s three-pronged approach will include issuing safeguard requirements for device manufacturers, incorporating quality-assurance measures in mandatory CMS accreditation for imagers, and creating national dose registries to aid in... Read More »

Leading an HCO in an Era of Scarce Resources: Implications for Radiology

April 16, 2010 | Leadership

It’s no surprise that so many provider organizations threw their weight behind the recently passed health-reform bill. In 2009, 72% of hospitals reported increases in uncompensated care.¹ The vast majority also reported decreases in both elective procedures and inpatient admissions, difficulty acquiring capital, and moratoria on capital projects (both... Read More »

Tapping the Rural Market: A User’s Guide

April 12, 2010 | Revenue Track

The emergence of PACS has given practices a chance to expand their business and boost revenue by tapping the rural hospital market. Before adding clients to their own networks, however, groups must pay attention to projected costs and potential profits, according to Gabe Graham, CPA, a... Read More »

The Tortoise and the Stack Burner

April 12, 2010 | The Big Picture

You know the tale. In the end, the steady pace of the tortoise won out over the supreme confidence and sheer speed of the hare; the hare simply did not value the focus, commitment, skill set, and tenacity exhibited by the tortoise. There are lots of lessons to be... Read More »