2009 May/June

Health Imaging & IT takes a look at eight health IT professionals to see how much they are earning, if they expect to receive a raise or bonus this year, how many FTEs they supervise, their years of experience and what departments they report to.

Over the last year, Kaleida Health Stroke Center at Millard Fillmore Gates Circle Hospital in Buffalo, N.Y., a national leader in stroke care, revised its stroke protocol with 320 detector row CT to better inform and accelerate clinical decision-making and optimize patient care. The goal is to individualize stroke care by carefully selecting patients for treatment. Imaging is key, says Kenneth Snyder, MD, PhD, senior endovascular fellow.

The second quarter of 2009 may go down in history as the time when PET services and molecular imaging began their move into the mainstream of medicine. In case you havent heard, in early April, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final national coverage determination (NCD) to expand coverage for initial testing with PET for Medicare beneficiaries who are diagnosed with and treated for most solid tumor cancers.

As ultrasound devices have continued to shrink in physical size while improving in diagnostic quality, they have gained adoption in emergency departments (ED) and in other critical-care areas to rapidly assess a variety of diseases. However, some radiologists remain concerned about the efficacy of the growing use of ultrasound in the ED, as well as other settings, and portend that the newer, more advanced ultrasound techniques, along with more seasoned reading skills, are required to properly diagnose a patients condition and recommend a treatment plan.

For a number of leading-edge enterprises, image management across multiple ologies is the logical next step in the ongoing image management process. Integrating image-intense ologies such as cardiology, pathology and orthopedics into the radiology image management solution can deliver a number of advantages. Facilities and health systems working toward the vision of a unified platform anticipate benefits on all fronts: clinical, operational and economic.

We see it everywherenews about slowdowns in imaging equipment purchases, reductions in reimbursement and the overall poor economic climate. But the demand is steady for breast and cardiac MR, and many facilities across the United States are seeing minimal impact on purchasing needs in the desire to provide leading-edge, quality care.

Although some hospitals, health systems and imaging centers are full-speed ahead with their implementation of planned IT projects, others are temporarily halting IT and other investments to weather the current economic storm. However, this doesnt mean that these facilities are shutting down their acquisition assessment and planning. In fact, its just the opposite. Healthcare decision-makers are using this purchasing hiatus to apply a value-based perspective to their technology purchases in both the near and long term.

So how are health IT projects and health IT professionals holding up in our current economic crisis? Very well, according to data and input from readers in our annual Health IT Salary Survey. IT professionals salaries are holding strong, although raises and bonuses are iffy for a few positions, so say the 400 people who contributed to this years results. Overall, IT professionals tell us theyre satisfied or very satisfied with their salaries and job.

Building bridges between imaging and other image- and report-dependent departments is the focus of the annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) that rolls into Charlotte, N.C., from June 4 to 7.