Radiologists are among the specialists least susceptible to lures from industry players angling for an ethically iffy “in” to push more goods and services—a happy fact in this age of Open Payments. But that doesn’t mean rads are immune. With this in mind, three radiologists at the University of Washington in Seattle propose a methodical approach to evaluating new products and managing relationships with vendors.

Six radiologists in Oklahoma may face monetary damages and penalties in the millions for having practitioner assistants provide restricted clinical services without radiologist supervision—and then billing CMS as though that base had been covered. Their regional health system may be on the hook too. 

The ultrasound systems space, which covers 39 major markets, is set to rise steadily from $4.2 billion in 2016 to $5 billion by 2023, representing a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 2.5%, according to research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Diagnostic and interventional radiologists are among the specialists who, on average, charge the highest fees above Medicare rates, according to Johns Hopkins researchers.

New organization integrates medical imaging businesses with innovation and informatics activities to create new platform for growth

An exemplary radiology department has demonstrated how to apply the innovative business-management technique called “time-driven activity-based costing,” or TDABC, to fix some common and costly workflow inefficiencies in radiology. 

With median annual pay of more than $300,000 and projected 10-year job growth of 15 percent, radiology ranks as one of the best career paths to pursue in the U.S.

Orders for Medicare-covered chest x-rays have dropped at a faster clip than those for chest CT and CT angiography (CTA) have risen in recent years, leading to a net decrease in overall noncardiac thoracic imaging. Meanwhile, radiologists’ role as the main providers of such imaging continues to help keep self-referral at bay.