Medical Imaging Blog

5 Top Radiology Programs in the US

Radiology information systems So you like X-rays, MRIs, and radiology information systems. And you’re wondering where you should go for that radiology residency.

We may be able to help.

With a frank admission that the “ranking” process is inherently subjective, we’ve drawn up a list of five medical schools that offer outstanding radiology training. Our selection was based on various rankings from the popular press (like U.S. News) and professional organizations and on numbers such as acceptance rates and publications. We also tried to highlight schools from around the U.S.

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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

Want to Improve Your Cardiology Practice? Try a CVIS

Improve Caridology workflow with a CVISWhy get a cardiovascular information system (CVIS)? Just ask Kerry Hamilton, Operations Manager of Heart and Vascular Care at Southern Regional Medical Center in Riverdale, Georgia.

“Our laborious process in electrocardiogram (ECG) management resulted in lost ECGs, missed revenue and report turnaround times that could take up to four days,” she writes in a recent Cath Lab Digest article. The source of the problem: paper.

Here is how she describes a paper-laden workflow:

Continue Reading: Want to Improve Your Cardiology Practice? Try a CVIS

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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3D PACS Come to the Forefront

3D PACS, PACS, picture archiving and communication systemThe day of two-dimensional PACS isn’t quite over, but it soon will be. Three-dimensional PACS are rapidly becoming the norm in medical imaging centers throughout the country.

And for good reason.

Despite the exponential growth of processing and storage capability over the past decade, the PACS products available during that time generally did not keep pace with CT improvements that enabled radiologists to take images of ever-thinner sections of the body.

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Getting Lean in Medical Imaging

medical imaging, PACS, RIS, Many medical professionals have utilized lean manufacturing principles in their healthcare practices. Many more, in their desire to make their institutions more efficient, have unknowingly adopted the same principles.

According to an article in the Journal of American College of Radiology, it’s time for medical imaging professionals to think like lean manufacturers too.

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