Facility Management

The U.S. Senate fell six votes short Thursday, June 12, of achieving the 60 votes needed to block debate on legislation that would have set aside an impending 10.6% cut in Medicare physician payments.

Interventional radiologists, like their diagnostic counterparts, remain under pressure as payers ratchet back reimbursements. But they continue to fight on the reimbursement front and see some silver linings in new government programs designed to improve the quality of care.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound for abdominal applications in radiology was first approved in Canada in 2001. Although reimbursement issues have prevented its general dissemination and adoption, ample publications describe the benefits and applications of this exciting and robust technique.

New models and upgrades for high-field systems continue to shape 2008 in lingering buyer's market After three years of declining sales, manufacturers are hoping for a rebound in the MR marketplace this year. If it comes, it won't be much.

When it comes to getting respect, radiologists are apparently the Rodney Dangerfield of the medical profession.

Dr. James H. Thrall, radiologist-in-chief at Massachusetts General Hospital, has been chosen as the new chair of the American College of Radiology Board of Chancellors. He was appointed during the college’s 2008 annual meeting in Washington, DC.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is now accepting public comments on national coverage for CT colonography. Comments will be accepted through June 18, 2008, at the CMS web site.

Jericho Specialty Imaging, an imaging facility based in New Hyde Park, NY, has filed an antitrust complaint against CareCore National, a radiology management service company that contracts with major health maintenance organizations.

A system presented at the SIIM meeting is able to develop work lists based on a patient’s insurance and a radiologist’s credentialing status, important considerations as more and more studies are interpreted away from central offices and facilities try to maximize reimbursement.

Logistical and reimbursement limitations dictate that most CT exams be performed on an outpatient basis, making it difficult to manage contrast-related reactions, especially in patients with renal insufficiency. Oral hydration may be as effective as intravenous fluids for preventing contrast-induced nephropathy in some instances, but further study is needed.

Researchers in San Francisco have found that MR imaging can accurately predict recurrence and development of metastatic disease in patients who are about to undergo radiation therapy for prostate cancer. Study findings suggest a stronger role for MRI in the management of the condition.

It's not too early to look ahead to 2009 and beyond, at least not during an election year in which healthcare financing reform is a major issue.

>Declining reimbursements in outpatient diagnostic imaging pose significant challenges for center operators across the county. What was once a fairly easy business to operate has in many ways become a challenge, especially during the past two years. Finding a good technologist was, and still is to a certain extent, a hardship for some radiology departments, but hiring a skilled manager is proving to be like finding a needle in a haystack.

Shrinking prices for 64-slice products offer bargains in market about to be transformed by new offers CT vendors had the worst year in recent memory in 2007, and this year was shaping up to be even worse. But that was before the Feds stepped in.

The combination of tube current modulation and bismuth shields during pediatric chest CT scanning can reduce radiation dose with a minimal impact on image quality, according to researchers from Duke University and the University of Arkansas

Medicare's decision against a national coverage determination for coronary CT angiography is not the end of conflict for the modality. It is just the beginning. The next battle involves fulfilling the promises the multisociety alliance made to assure the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services that its acceptance of coronary CT will not turn into a multibillion-dollar debacle.

Despite expanding clinical applications driven by functional and breast imaging, MR scanners are stuck in a sales doldrums.

Preventing adverse skin reactions during breast radiotherapy is a challenge. Attempts to address the problem with topical creams or hygiene have been unsuccessful. Instead, Canadian researchers have gone back to the source of the problem and found that using intensity-modulated radiation therapy can reduce acute dermatitis, especially when compared with traditional whole-breast radiotherapy.

A clinical study to determine computer-aided detection’s value to CT colonography could save manufacturers time and money by speeding up the regulatory approval process. If proven successful, the approach could save thousands of lives each year by enhancing early colorectal cancer detection.

Physician authors of a study summarizing 12 months of positive results from the National Oncologic PET Registry have asked the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to grant routine Medicare payment for numerous PET procedures tracked by the registry.

Cardiac CT reimbursement controversy underscores growing demand for definitive trials that establish efficacy of emerging technologies

American College of Radiology plots publicity blitz to educate patients, referring doctors and put friendly face on diagnostic imaging specialists

Medicare funding requires dramatic changes as baby boomers age and economy slides

Patient protection strategies ranging from automated exposure to flagging systems are becoming the norm This year for the first time the RSNA meeting offered a scientific abstract session dedicated exclusively to pediatric CT and dose. Papers from Asia, Europe, and the U.S. reflect that growing concern over radiation exposure from medical imaging, particularly in young patients.

A study based on nearly 23,000 patients at 1200 U.S. healthcare facilities has found that FDG-PET or PET/CT led referring physicians to alter their opinion about the optimal treatment for about 37% of cancer patients.