Facility Management

A new configuration of GE Healthcare’s LightSpeed VCT cuts dose by up to 40% during routine imaging, according to the company.

Results from papers released Sunday at the 2008 RSNA suggest that a less rigid approach to treatment, coupled with knowledgeable practitioners and judicious patient selection can improve the commercial prospects of outpatient MRI-guided focused ultrasound ablation of uterine fibroids. There are caveats, though.

As 2008 drew to a close, so did demandin the U.S. for imaging equipment.The timing couldn't be worse.The crisis in the U.S. credit marketsfelled an already stumbling market forcapital equipment such as MR andCT. Vendors began feeling the pinchin the first half of the year, reflecting adownturn that began last year.

Change may be the byword for the historic election of Sen. Barack Obama as president, but the type of change Obama may bring to the White House won't necessarily be accompanied by the uncertainties and anxieties that come with a sharp departure from the past.

A new CT scanner built on Siemens’ unique dual-source x-ray technology promises to dramatically reduce dose and eliminate motion artifact in the chest. Using two x-ray tubes and matching detectors, the Somatom Definition Flash, debuted at RSNA 2008, opens the door to routine scanning of the coronaries, according to the company.

Legal and regulatory issues have a growing impact on how radiologists perform procedures and studies, report results, and structure their practices. Implementing a simple checklist may help to reduce the prospect of being sued for malpractice.

NightHawk switches CEOsSectra and Synthetic MR extend alliance Riverain launches chest software

President-elect Barack Obama’s appointment of former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle to head the Department of Health and Human Services, combined with a commitment from insurers and a detailed plan from the chair of the powerful Senate Finance Committee, suggests strongly that healthcare reform will be a top priority for the new administration and the 111th Congress.

A decision by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services not to expand coverage for carotid artery stenting has stirred mixed responses among physicians who are either outraged with the denial or satisfied that the decision was scientifically sound.

Change may be the byword for the historic election of Sen. Barack Obama as president, but the type of change Obama will bring to the White House won’t necessarily be accompanied by the uncertainties and anxieties that come with a sharp departure from the past.

The 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule reflects the recent tendency of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to propose stringent reforms for in-office imaging and independent diagnostic imaging facilities in the summer and decide against their implementation when the final MPFS rules are published in the fall.The 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule reflects the recent tendency of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to propose stringent reforms for in-office imaging and independent diagnostic imaging facilities in the summer and decide against their implementation when the final MPFS rules are published in the fall.

I have always loved allegory. Asan art form, it can cause us toexamine our beliefs, to reflect onthe influences that govern ourlives.

Advanced imaging procedures covered by Medicare took a beating in 2007 under a congressionally mandated deficit reduction law, falling $1.7 billion, a drop of 12.7%, to $12.1 billion, according to a report from the federal General Accountability Office.

MR vendors have been chipping away at new clinical applications for years. They have pointed to 3T as the means to expand routine practice in ways that are not routine, adding computing engines to handle the massive volumes of data that would gush forth, expanding data pipelines, building out coils with extended channels-in short, creating the infrastructure to support a new diagnostic order. This year, they mean business.

Whether we would like to admit it or not, medical imaging is slowly on its way to becoming a commodity, which has been defined by Wikipedia as "anything for which there is a demand, but which is supplied without qualitative differentiation across a given market."

During tens of thousands of patient consultations every day, physicians make bad decisions about ordering diagnostic imaging. They may prescribe brain MRI because it is faster to write an order than to conduct a routine neurological exam. They may call for an abdominal CT without realizing that diagnostic ultrasound is cheaper and equally effective.

Radiology is capital-hungry and labor-intensive. In this era of healthcare reforms and budget restrictions, long-term planning is required to manage it

An Italian investigation suggests virtual colonography is a better follow-up test for failed colonoscopy than a double-contrast barium enema.

Ultrasound will step into thepolitically charged environs ofwomen's health and address thevagaries of today's financial challengesat this year's RSNA meeting.

CMS considers expanding PET coverageAvreo snaps up multisite contract

Teleradiology's relatively smooth sail into the waters of commercial success may be in for some turbulence as prices per read drop like a barometer in a hurricane. Most of the pressure forcing rates downward comes from the perfect storm of increased competition, reduced reimbursements, commoditization of preliminary read service, and continuing effects of the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005

A unique touchscreen iPhone-teleradiology application that allows physicians to navigate through diagnostic images from home, train, or golf cart was announced in June at the Apple user's meeting by an Ohio biomedical company.

An advisory legal opinion from the Department of Health and Human Services in favor of a specialized service to handle the processing of high-tech preauthorization requests for referring physicians has drawn a mixed response among legal and industry authorities.

Radiologists worry about surprise rate cuts and tighter tech regulation but still wield influence over IT and healthcare quality initiatives

Donated Siemens MR begins operatingSiemens suggests PET swap for bone scansSNM highlights molecular imaging advancesSymposium focuses on ultrasound surgery