Facility Management

Philips allies with EM navigation firmU.S. Senate considers DRA freezeFonar financial picture brightensAgfa guarantee eases digital transition

Although many radiologists have resisted structured reporting, it offers numerous benefits ranging from better communication with referring physicians and faster report turnaround to data mining capabilities and integration with speech recognition, according to a recent paper.

A bipartisan bill calling for a two-year freeze on imaging payment rate reductions included in the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 was introduced in the U.S. Senate May 8. The legislation comes on the heels of a similar bill introduced by the House in February.

Fewer than one quarter of U.S. outpatient imaging centers surveyed by the marketing research firm IMV plan to purchase any type of high-end diagnostic imaging equipment between now and 2008, a draconian measure prompted by the implementation of the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA).

Radiologists’ desire to sleep at night and avoid call is more likely to drive demand for after-hours teleradiology services than is a need for extra personnel, according to a small survey of imaging department heads presented at the American Roentgen Ray Society meeting on Tuesday.meeting on Tuesday.

FDA clears Hansen EP robotic systemToshiba nabs ultrasound contractFinal data clock in for 64-slice CT trial

College-based urgent care physicians and community-based emergency room physicians do not feel compelled to consult with radiologists about patients with abdominal pain, according to results of an e-mail survey presented at the Association of University Radiologists meeting in April.

Investors shun maker of ultrasound agentAlliance Imaging reports reduced revenues Amicas narrows operating lossSonoSite 1Q revenues rise 16%

In late November, nearly 300 doctors and imaging center managers paid $325 each for a day-long seminar sponsored by the law firm McDermott Will & Emery. They packed a large ballroom in the swank Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Water Tower Place in Chicago to learn how to turn referrals to imaging facilities into lucrative income streams.

Striking the right balance between quality and throughput is never easy, especially when the queue of referrals seems never to end. Shorter scan times mean that another patient or two could be squeezed onto the day's work list.

Multislice CT has steamed into our radiology departments like a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier. In its wake, an entire support industry has sprung up to help us quench our ever-increasing thirst for more and better slices.

The Elizabeth Wende Breast Clinic in Rochester, NY, has used computer-aided detection for seven years. While CAD's value in the screen-film arena is well documented, its implementation can be challenging, and further research still needs to be performed in the digital world.

The trade-off between image noise and radiation exposure in low-dose multislice CT for kidney stone detection has not been kind to overweight patients.

Computer-aided diagnosis has become a part of routine clinical work for detection of breast cancer on mammograms.1-7 It is beginning to be applied in the detection and differential diagnosis of many different kinds of abnormalities in medical images obtained with various modalities.

There is no doubt in any imaging center operator's mind that today's myriad new imaging technologies are changing the way in which they do business. In many instances, these new technologies also drive the future success of the operation.

Advances in coil technology and the development of tailored sequences have made 3T a versatile alternative to 1.5T. But it will be a long time until it displaces 1.5T as the workhorse of MR.

The patient arrived at the outpatient clinic early for her follow-up. The indication for the laser ablation procedure she had undergone to treat varicose veins in her legs had been primarily clinical.

Nuclear medicine applications have boomed since PET studies secured reimbursement, and the use of hybrid modalities combining nuclear imaging with multislice CT scanning is growing. The potential for increasing radiation exposure for patients and medical workers requires beefing up radiation safety measures, according to two leading nuclear medicine experts who spoke at the 2007 National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements meeting.

Pressure to go filmless has been mounting for years. Rising chemical costs and reimbursement cuts under the Deficit Reduction Act have compounded the pressure on outpatient centers such as ours to rein in escalating expenses. To make a serious dent in

A study appearing in today’s issue of The New England Journal of Medicine reports that computer-aided interpretation of mammograms is less accurate than interpretation without a computer’s help. Researchers concluded that computer-aided detection software designed to improve mammogram interpretation may actually make it worse.

The feasibility of 3T MR as a general-purpose clinical imaging modality is an ongoing controversy. Although whole-body 3T MRI has been available for several years, most systems to date have been sold to university hospitals and research facilities.

Local Medicare carriers in all 50 states have published guidelines for outpatient coverage of coronary CT angiography. Despite a model local coverage determination developed with the help of radiology societies and organizations, local payers have opted to craft their coverage rules in a way that has resulted in widely varying technology requirements and indications.

The specter of lung cancer hangs over a generation who grew up in homes where ashtrays were as common as shag carpeting. Those youngsters, now entering their 50s and 60s, may have smoked and may have quit, but the risk of cancer remains.

When imaging centers first entered the market, they provided MRI and other imaging services to patients who were referred by local physicians. These physicians selected imaging centers based on quality and convenience for their patients.

With popular actresses Sally Field and Andie MacDowell looking on, Dr. Etta Pisano picked up a Ladies Home Journal Health Breakthrough award last year, in recognition of her work in promoting better screening for breast cancer.