2014 July/August

Big data is more than a buzzword, it is the future of medicine. More sophisticated ways of capturing and—perhaps more importantly—analyzing data will revolutionize healthcare, making it more effective, efficient and personalized. This issue's cover story asks several Big Data thought leaders what this means for radiology.

Let’s say you need an MRI of your lower back (and so we’re heeding the Choosing Wisely recommendations from the American College of Physicians, we’ll say it’s for some specific suspected abnormality and not just non-specific back pain). How much is that going to cost? 

In May, informaticists, radiologists and other imaging IT stakeholders flocked to Long Beach, Calif., for the 2014 annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM). 

CT is the workhorse of imaging, but as utilization surged in the new millennium, so did concerns about radiation dose. 

In April, long-awaited data on Medicare physician payments were finally made public by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). The release contained information on 880,000 physicians and other healthcare providers who took in a total of about $77 billion in payments in 2012.

Concern comes with any new process or system change in healthcare, and the increasing use of online patient portals in radiology is no exception. However, worries about patient anxiety, an uptick in office phone calls or misinterpretation of reports seem to have been kept at bay, as the adoption of portals is offering a host of promising benefits for patients and radiologists alike. 

The practice of radiation oncology is advancing rapidly, but even as the technology evolves, it is the power of partnership that is key to improving care. Novel collaboration with radiology, payers and the patients themselves are changing the way treatments are delivered.

Molecular imaging has become increasingly important in the non-invasive diagnosis and monitoring of pediatric disease, whether known or suspected. Innovations in molecular oncology, neuroimaging and hybrid imaging are shaping how clinicians approach a range of diseases in children and young adults.

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