Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

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VIDEO: The importance of the Physician Practice Information Survey and its impact on radiology reimbursements

Linda Wilgus, CPA, CMPE, executive director and chief financial officer of Northwest Radiology Network and a past president of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA), explains the importance of the Physician Practice Information Survey CMS in calculating radiology reimbursements.

April 25, 2022

PHOTO GALLERY: Duly Health adopts outpatient cardiac CT as a standard of care

Duly Health and Care in suburban Chicago recently opened a new outpatient cardiac evaluation center equipped with a dedicated cardiac CT system, which will likely be a new business model that will be seen more in the coming years.

April 20, 2022
Leslee Shaw, PhD, and former presidents of both SCCT and ASNC discusses the role of CT and FFR-CT in the 2021 chest pain guidelines.

VIDEO: Cardiac CT now recommended as a front-line chest pain assessment tool

Leslee Shaw, PhD, director of the Blavatnik Family Women’s Health Research Institute at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York and former president of the Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC), explains the role of cardiac computed tomography (CT) in the recent 2021 chest pain guidelines.

April 19, 2022
An example of a positive amyloid plaque PET nuclear brain scan. these tests can help identify Alzheimer's patients earlier so they can be prescribed drugs to treat the condition.

CMS coverage decision for Alzheimer's drug, related PET scans sparks concern in imaging community

In a statement released on April 14, MITA cautioned that the coverage decision will “severely limit patient access” to amyloid PET diagnostics and anti-amyloid monoclonal antibodies treatment.

April 18, 2022
The ASNC is one of several medical imaging societies asking Congress to repeal the appropriate use criteria (AUC) criteria mandate. They say it poses issues for clinicians and is becoming outdated by changes in CMS payment systems. The AUC requirements call for documentation using CVMS authorized software in order to show advanced imaging such as nuclear and CT is justified, or else Medicare payments might be withheld.

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology urges Congress to speed prior authorizations, repeal AUC mandate 

Over the past few weeks, members of ASNC’s Health Policy Committee have held meetings with their members of Congress.

April 18, 2022
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Significant disparities exist in utilization of self-scheduling radiology exams, research shows

Researchers revealed that less than 1% of more than 46,000 patients took advantage of online self-scheduling tools.

April 15, 2022
home rehab

New mobile low-field MRI scanner inches closer to increasing imaging access in rural communities

It takes only five minutes for the portable MRI system, "Scan-a-van," to start scanning after arriving at patients' homes.

April 11, 2022
brain mri

Better neuroimaging guidelines could save practices millions, research shows

In the study, MRI scans were responsible for 70% of neuroimaging spending, despite accounting for only 25% of completed exams.

April 11, 2022

Around the web

Automated AI-generated measurements combined with annotated CT images can improve treatment planning and help referring physicians and patients better understand their disease, explained Sarah Jane Rinehart, MD, director of cardiac imaging with Charleston Area Medical Center.

Two advanced algorithms—one for CAC scores and another for segmenting cardiac chamber volumes—outperformed radiologists when assessing low-dose chest CT scans. 

"Gen AI can help tackle repetitive tasks and provide insights into massive datasets, saving valuable time," Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said Tuesday. 

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