Facility Management

Starting January 1st, referring physicians who provide in-office imaging services must provide their patients with a list of other options in their area. It’s probably a good time to make sure your practice is on that list.

Transvaginal ultrasound demonstrates good sensitivity and specificity for detecting endometrial cancer, a study from the University College, London. finds. But that doesn’t mean it’s suited for use in the general population just yet. The researchers found transvaginal ultrasound is better for high-risk groups prone to endometrial cancer, and especially in the management of postmenopausal women undergoing pelvic scans for reasons other than vaginal bleeding.

A significant decision regarding these standards looms over us now - how to incentivize or discourage certain behavior. There is not a right or wrong answer to this. The group needs to decide when and how hard the rubber meets the road. In our minds, our options include publication of statistics either anonymously or openly, hoping for behavior modification; escalation of punishment for failure to meet a standard, by financial or other penalties; or incentives for those performing best.

Laura and her husband Paul landed in Boston to begin a whirlwind tour of several major East Coast cities in celebration of their second wedding anniversary. As a Brit, Laura most looked forward to touring the sites of the city that helped ignite the American Revolution. Following a bowl of “chowda” and a few pictures along the Charles River, they would bid farewell to Beantown and headed toward the bright lights of the Big Apple.

Dose reduction at one time played second fiddle to image quality, but today it enjoys top billing. New algorithms are coming into play in CT, radiography, and fluoroscopy to maintain image quality at traditional levels by processing out the noise that sneaks in during low-dose exams. In some cases, fear of radiation has gotten so bad that patients forego CT and other sources of ionizing radiation all together.

Historically, radiologists have been leaders in the adoption of new technologies. The first radiology computer-assisted coding (CAC) product went into commercial production in early 2000. Since that time, hundreds of millions of radiology reports have been coded and audited using CAC.

The Virtual Radiologic and NightHawk merger has some experts worrying about jobs, referral issues, a delays in care.

It's been a bit more than a decade since teleradiology really started to take off in the U.S. Fed by a radiologist shortage in the early 2000s and a desire by many practices to shed their night call work.

Self-referral of imaging services by non-radiologists doesn’t necessarily benefit patients, and can lead to overuse and increased spending. Those are the conclusions of a series of studies published this week in the December issue of Health Affairs.

Despite the increasing popularity of blood testing for colorectal cancer, radiologists don’t have to worry CT colonography will be replaced just yet, according to experts.

Doctors’ groups, including the AMA and several specialty organizations, have lobbied aggressively to ensure that healthcare providers were not included under the law. The efforts, it turns out, were successful.

Linda could not shake the pesky cough and congestion that had settled into her chest. She knew a quick trip to the doctor was the most prudent course of action but couldn't afford it. When she finally had to go to the emergency room, she received three imaging examinations in succession for a common ailment that could easily have been diagnosed by a physical exam and laboratory tests alone.

Minnesota is in the vanguard as far as implementing clinical decision support, a tool that tamps down overutilization and reduces the incidence of patients receiving inappropriate diagnostic imaging tests. Minnesota is launching a statewide initiative to adopt the tool; others states are also considering its use.

Our business has changed substantially in recent years. Ours was a practice that was primarily hospital-based. However, it underwent a paradigm shift, and the group has added a substantial amount of teleradiology and non-hospital based business. In so doing we have made several philosophical decisions and must continue to consider those.

CT scout or scanogram images make up only about 4% of the typical chest/abdominal scan radiation dose, but are an easy target for dose reductions, according to a study presented Wednesday. Further, as technology changes and protocol updates reduce overall dose rates, scout images will make up a relatively larger part of the total and still represent a good target for cuts.

It should be possible to reduce radiation dose levels by as much as 50% in CT appendicitis scans without seriously sacrificing accuracy, a study presented Tuesday by Duke University researchers concluded.

A Monday morning scientific session covering cardiac CT dose and noise broke down into newsworthy matched pairs: two studies examining the implication of CT radiation on public health, two investigating the impact of radiation reduction strategies on patient dose and image quality, and a third pair considering how noise reduction from iterative reconstruction affects the quality of images of highly calcified vessels and morbidly obese patients.

Seeking to drive down patient radiation dose, Siemens Healthcare unveiled a new technology platform for its CT scanners, one that not only cuts dose but speeds the exam and promotes more efficient patient handling

Low-dose CT works just as well in the detection of acute appendicitis as standard dose. In an interview with Diagnostic Imaging Dr. So Yeon Kim explains the image quality of low-dose CT and the possibility of low-dose CT replacing standard dose in acute appendicitis patients.

A phantom study suggests whole-body x-ray scanners are not effective. Backscatter scanners unlikely to detect substantial explosive amounts on the body.

The current generation of trainees in radiology and other medical specialties likely prefer texting to direct communication, but are we missing something in these electronic messages? I believe so.

Leaders in our practice started looking critically at our operations. We wanted to find out how well our billing and administrative operations function. Radiology profitability, as with most physician practices and businesses, is as much about keeping your overhead down as it is about increasing your income. I’ve learned that as long as revenue comes in and physicians’ paychecks are as big as-or bigger than-last year, most partners believe that all is well.

Radisphere’s best opportunities, according to Clayton T. Larsen, Radisphere senior vice president of client and network development, are community hospitals with 50 to 400 beds, particularly ones being served by poorly run radiology groups.

Teleradiology provider Radisphere is targeting community hospitals unhappy with small radiology group practices.

Vendors have tried to walk a thin line between providing equipment and prescribing its use. Automated protocols and image processing have been enhanced to make imaging products easier to use and the images they deliver more consistent from one user to another. But they have stopped short of mandating technologies that otherwise impact the practice of medicine. Now the FDA wants equipment makers to expand their role.

The National Cancer Institute released initial results from a large-scale clinical trial showing lung cancer screening with low-dose CT reduced mortality by 20% when compared to standard chest x-rays.

Coronary CT angiography came of age in the last decade. This occurred because CT technology moved into the 16- and 64- detector era.

I have an elderly, demented aunt in California for whom I am the responsible decision maker. Up until a few years ago, Aunt Doris was an intelligent, powerful, and forceful woman.

The bread and butter modalities of radiology, radiography and ultrasound, will be among the standouts of RSNA 2010.

Breast tomosynthesis in the U.S. may finally be at hand. In September the FDA's Radiological Devices Panel unanimously agreed that Hologic's digital mammography tomosynthesis system, Selenia Dimensions, is effective and safe.