Facility Management

The argument that diagnostic technologies make a difference in clinical outcomes is like the one that eyesight is helpful when crossing the street. If you don’t see danger coming, whether it is a disease or car, it’s hard to avoid it. Most in radiology would agree that this certainly makes sense for preventive medicine. Another obvious argument applies to the diagnostic/therapeutic process. How can patients be treated if physicians don’t know what ails them?

Radiologists reacted cautiously to healthcare reforms proposed Wednesday night by President Barak Obama in a speech before Congress. They were heartened by his remarks supporting screening mammography and malpractice reform, but they said the proposal doesn’t change much in terms of lobbying direction or provide all of the details they are waiting for.

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On the eve of a major presidential speech on healthcare reform, medical imaging advocates weighed in with political broadsides urging Congress to set aside legislative proposals they say will harm imaging device sales and clinical practices.

Considering the financial and professional implications of reform, it is not surprising that radiologists and imaging service providers are anxious about where the political discussion will lead.

Radiologists are not the only ones feeling the pinch from Medicare. Their colleagues on the radiation oncology side of the fence stand to lose out as well, if proposed Medicare rules go through – and the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) is kicking up some dust about it.

Radiologists have felt the effects of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 far more than nonradiologist imagers, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

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Recently the White House announced that the first chunk of money, $1.2 billion in grants, is set to prime the healthcare IT initiative in the U.S. The funds will begin flowing sometime next year. About half will go to establish HIT centers that will help hospitals and docs to build their own electronic medical records (EMRs). The other half will go toward developing a nationwide system of EMRs.

Former FujiFilm Medical exec Clayton T. Larsen will head marketing efforts for the teleradiology firm Franklin & Seidelmann.

Radiologists who believe that Washington insiders have targeted medical imaging for financial cutbacks can find plenty of evidence to raise concerns in a recent report on Medicare costs published by the Medicare Payment Advisory Committee.

Scores of radiologists from private imaging centers in the New York City metro area and thousands of their patients have organized to pressure their representatives in Congress for support in preserving access to imaging services. Their approach targets key players dealing with health care reform.

A type of iterative reconstruction may reduce patient radiation dose from CT scans up to 65%, according to a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Findings from a survey of 100 imaging centers suggest that MRI scanning facilities, particularly those run independently from hospitals, lack basic infection-control procedures. Patients and staff could be at risk of contracting and spreading life-threatening diseases during MRI exams.

Interventional radiologists are coming to grips with the implications of two groundbreaking clinical trials indicating that percutaneous vertebroplasty relieves pain from osteoporotic vertebral fractures no better than a sham version of the procedure.

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Blue Dog Democrats on the House Energy and Commerce subcommittee on health were credited Friday with combating liberal proposals arising during protracted deliberations that would have cut physician pay. No action was taken on an amendment that would have banned in-office imaging physician self-referral.

The makers of imaging equipment will soon get a handle on industry-wide performance in the first half of 2009, tallying the units sold and revenue earned. They’ll put their numbers in the context of what they believe their competitors did and come up with a snapshot of where we, the imaging community, have been. I’m betting two bits to a donut it won’t be pretty.

Cancer survivors and others with chronic conditions, backed by patient advocacy groups, gathered on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, Wednesday to protest proposed imaging services reimbursement cuts they fear will reduce access to essential diagnostic imaging services, particularly in rural communities.

A study combining the work of two commercial health insurance plans and a Medicare Advantage managed care program indicates that imaging prior authorization dramatically slows the use of high-tech imaging in the short run, but its impact decreases over time.

Legislation that would eliminate the regulatory exemption that allows physicians to self-refer patients to office-based imaging equipment has gained backers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, one of three committees debating the House of Representatives’ version of comprehensive healthcare reform.

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A major reform of the nation’s healthcare system, the America’s Affordable Health Choices Act, was introduced in the House of Representatives this week. To the delight of many physicians, the bill would eliminate the sustainable growth rate formula. To the chagrin of radiologists, it would also bring further reimbursement cuts for advanced imaging services.

Virtual Radiologic jockeys for rural telerad

Proposed legislation would close a loophole exemption in the federal ban against imaging self-referral that has been implicated in the rapid rise of imaging costs and utilization.

Expectations can be a problem. This is especially so when the government gets involved.

Let’s face it. Our current healthcare system has dealt most of the winning cards to radiologists. Radiologists hold some of the best paying jobs in medicine. The hours are regular. The time off for continuing education and other nonclinical pursuits is generous. And the opportunity to work mainly in an outpatient setting can lower professional anxieties considerably.

Medicare reimbursement for high-tech imaging, including MRI and CT, could be cut by up to 40% if the Obama administration moves ahead with plans covered in proposed changes to the 2010 Physician Fee Schedule to shift funds to primary care physicians.

I couldn't agree more with your editorial on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and CT colonography

Just as diagnostic imaging providers were figuring out strategies to weather the reimbursement cuts mandated by the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, the ground shifted once more with a severe economic downturn.