2011 May

Continuous improvement is not about the things you do wellthats work. Continuous improvement is about removing the things that get in the way of your work. The headaches, the things that slow you down, thats what continuous improvement is all about, observes Bruce Hamilton, president of GMBP, a strategic consulting firm.

In the good old days, image management was an insiders club largely comprised of radiologists and PACS administrators well-versed in the nuances of DICOM, modality worklist and imaging informatics. Today, however, image management is hurdling toward an enterprise model characterized by broader, looser boundaries and lots of data.

Originally hailed as a practice-extending boon for overworked radiologists, teleradiology has faced increasing fire and fury in the last 12 to 18 months. As the major players grow larger, swallowing other teleradiology providers and building affiliations with local practices, rad practices are concerned that they, too, may be bait for teleradiology companies.

Alicia Vasquez is president of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) Board of Directors and practice administrator for Arcadia Radiology Medical Group (ARMG), an eight-physician practice in Arcadia, Calif. Health Imaging & IT met with Vasquez to discuss key issues shaping the business of radiology.