Medical Imaging Blog

Medical Imaging: Our Future

Is Prior Authorization of Medical Imaging a Good Way to Save Money?

Can prior authorization of medical imaging save money?$319 billion. That’s how much could be saved on healthcare costs if the government acted on Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association’s (BCBSA) recent recommendations.

The problem: medical imaging would get squeezed.

BCBSA’s recommendations follow a by-now familiar pattern: 1) Replace fee-for-service reimbursement with outcome-based reimbursement, 2) Invest in primary care, and 3) Invest in preventative care.

The details, however, bring out the trouble for medical imaging. The recommendations use a partnership between Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield and a radiology benefit management company as a model. The partnership relied on prior authorization from the benefit management to reduce the use of medical imaging.

Continue Reading: Is Prior Authorization of Medical Imaging a Good Way to Save Money?

Consolidation and Commoditization in Medical Imaging

Medical Imaging Tomorrow’s medical imaging practice will probably look much different from today’s. And it’s all because of economics.

That’s the conclusion of Eugene Lin, M.D., of the Virginia Mason Medical Center in Seattle in a recent article in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The medical imaging field of today, with its variety of options for the new radiologist, will slowly disappear, predicts Lin.

Citing the probable rise of ACO’s and the ongoing effort to trim healthcare costs, Lin thinks that the following features will dominate the medical imaging market in 2020:

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What’s Hip: The Latest Medical Imaging Trends

Medical Imaging trends, PACS, RISIf you haven’t seen the results from Health Imaging’s latest “Top Trends” survey, here are the highlights:

  • Declining Revenues. This was the #1 business priority for physician group practices, imaging centers, and community hospitals. Cuts in Medicare and insurance company reimbursements are driving down revenues. The good news: many medical imaging practices are becoming more efficient, improving their marketing efforts, and adding new services to compensate.
  • Improving Customer Satisfaction. This was the #1 business priority for academic medical centers and multi-hospital organizations.
Continue Reading: What’s Hip: The Latest Medical Imaging Trends

Medical Imaging Confidence Could Use a Boost

medical Imaging confidence index, The Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI), sponsored by The MarkeTechGroup LLC and The Association for Medical Imaging Management, comes out of a quartely online survey of radiology department managers from around the country. The index ranges from zero – representing zero confidence in the medical imaging market – to 200. In general, scores below 50 are worrisome, scores around 100 reflect ambivalence, and scores above 150 represent high confidence.

Not surprisingly, many of the scores for 2011 have been on the lower end of the spectrum and don’t show signs of going up:

Category

2011 Q1

2011 Q2

2011 Q3
Continue Reading: Medical Imaging Confidence Could Use a Boost

Medical Imaging Technology Update

Medical Imaging technology, medical imaging newsHere is a collection of some of the latest news, advances and promising research in the medical imaging field:

  • Liver cancer treatment. Interventional radiologists may have discovered a way to better identify and modify blood vessels so that radiation-emitting – and cancer killing – beads can be delivered to inoperable liver tumors. Continue reading.
  • Stress and sleep studies. Neuroimaging has been used to study all kinds of things, but not the effect of stress and sleep deprivation. Scientists in Virginia hope to better understand how the brainstem and thalamus by recording the effects of stress and sleeplessness. Continue reading.
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Medical Imaging Economics at RSNA

Medical Imaging, RSNA, McKessonMedical imaging professionals love RSNA. It’s a time to see old friends, connect with fellow professionals, and learn about the latest medical imaging hardware and software. It’s also a great place for people new to the field to start building their networks.

The other reason medical professionals look forward to RSNA is to learn about the economics that drive the industry. ACO’s, meaningful use, teleradiology, commoditization – these are all changing the medical imaging market, and professionals in the field should know how they may define the role of the medical imaging professional in the future.

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“Patients” or “Consumers”? The Changing Dynamics of HealthCare

medical imaging, healthcare reformHow medical professionals – including medical imaging professionals – refer to their clients makes a lot of difference, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

According to the the authors of the article in the Journal, healthcare reform, with its overriding focus on controlling costs, has led to an “industrialized” or “standardized” approach to medicine. The result: hospitals, clinics, and other medical facilities are viewed as “providers” of services which are used by “consumers.” Likewise, the language used to describe medical professional-patient interaction is that of a commercial transaction.

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The Future of Healthcare Reform and Radiology

radiology systems and healthcare reformThe Obama administration recently passed on an opportunity to prevent the Patient Protection  and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) from going to the Supreme Court, so we could have a decision about the Act’s constitutionality by next summer.

In the meantime, though, it’s best to proceed as if PPACA will be implemented as planned. For hospitals and healthcare organizations with radiology systems, that means that this article from Diagnostic Imaging is probably worth reading.

The article reports on the words of Robert Still, a doctor and practice manager at Lancaster Radiology Associates in Auburn, Pennsylvania. Still recently spoke at the AHRA’s annual meeting in Dallas.

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5 Tips for Managing Medical Imaging Data

medical imaging date setsTwenty years ago, very few people talked about the need for terabytes of data. Now, a terabyte seems like a pittance, especially to people in fields like medical imaging, which demand ever-greater data capacity to meet the ever-growing sophistication (and data hungry) imaging technologies.

But the growing volume of data leads to the growing number of data management problems. Information has to be organized to be meaningful, and today’s volume of information is too large for any one person to manage, especially in the high-volume fields of medical imaging.

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Boldly Going Where No Medical Imaging Has Gone Before

medical imaging in rmote areas$100,000 doesn’t amount to much in the world of medical imaging. But in developing countries, it makes medical imaging available to thousands of people – and that’s just the first benefit.

Imaging the World (ITW), a non-profit that develops medical and technologies to bring medical imaging to remote areas around the world, recently received a $100,000 grant from Grand Challenges Explorations, which funds scientists and researchers worldwide to explore ideas that can break the mold in how we solve persistent global health and development challenges. Grand Challenges Explorations is one of many global health initiatives funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Continue Reading: Boldly Going Where No Medical Imaging Has Gone Before
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