2011 August

Summer is my favorite time of year. Its a bit like Christmas in July, when a slew of applications arrive (electronically, of course) for Health Imaging's annual Top Connected contest.

Dose reduction initiatives are big priorities these days. In fact, a just-completed survey of Health Imaging & IT readers on strategies to manage CT radiation exposure shows that 95 percent of organizations have implemented a dose reduction initiative in the last 24 months.

Thousands of radiology departments and imaging centers across the country are in dire need of radiography makeovers. Though x-ray remains the bread and butter of radiology, outdated systems compromise efficiency, profitability and patient care. DR can remedy the situation.

Nationwide trends show imaging utilization has flattened, and yet scrutiny over the appropriate use of imaging is just gearing up. With pressure on physicians growing, two chief mechanisms for driving appropriate use are coming to the foreclinical decision support (CDS) and radiology benefits managers (RBMs).

Direct communication of imaging results by radiologists to patients has bubbled to the surface in the last few years. Its fueled by patient demands for expediency, healthcare reform and the role of miscommunication in malpractice suits. Proposed, but stalled, legislation in Pennsylvaniathe Patient Test Result Information Actwould have required radiology facilities to send exam results to patients.