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The Big Picture
Radiology’s Big Three
By Curtis Kauffman-Pickelle
 I have written, in the past, about the converging trends that illuminate, when viewed together, where the imaging profession finds itself in its life cycle. A somewhat mature marketplace is defined by certain characteristics that mirror these three ubertrends: tightening of profit margins, some measure of commoditization, and accelerated consolidation of key entities. This third trend is now being played out across the country and in virtually every segment of the health-care supply chain.
Illustrating this in a significant way is the news of the recent merger of three radiology groups in the greater Dallas–Fort Worth, Texas, marketplace. According to a March 2, 2011, press release, the merger of Radiology Associates of Tarrant County, Southwest Imaging and Interventional Specialists, and Grapevine Radiology Associates has resulted in the creation of the nation’s second-largest private radiology group, as measured by the number of radiologists and as ranked in the 2010 survey of the largest radiology practices published by Radiology Business Journal.
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Preparing Used Equipment to Sell: Best Practices
By Cat Vasko
 The sale or trading in of legacy equipment is a critical aspect of the acquisition of new imaging technology, providing facilities with capital and/or leverage to help offset the cost of the new device. Properly readying used equipment for sale, however, is an often-overlooked component of the process, according to Doug Fischer, CEO of Imaging Acquisitions, Tulsa, Oklahoma.
“Most facilities will spend their time focusing on the new equipment,” he says. “They won’t be focusing on the old equipment until a month or less prior to the new system being delivered. This really limits the value they can get on that legacy system.”
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PACS Backed by the Cloud
By Kris Kyes
 While cost reduction initially prompts many health-care organizations to investigate cloud computing, there is an even more compelling reason to use it. By making your internal IT resources available for projects needing immediate attention, you enhance your agility, according to “Cloud Computing: Taking It to the Next Level,” presented on February 21 in Orlando, Florida, at HIMSS11, the 2011 annual conference of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society.
David Finn, CISA, a former health-system CIO who is now health IT officer for Symantec (Mountain View, California), explains that a newly nimble, cloud-backed IT department can then support the organization during acquisitions, service-line expansions, and volume increases. Brian Comp, MBA, PMP, chief technology officer, information services, for Orlando Health in Florida, adds a real-world view of Orlando Health’s expectations for cloud storage.
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What Community Hospitals Want: A Conversation With David Harrison, RT, MBA
By Cat Vasko
 Community hospitals have a unique set of needs when it comes to imaging. Though they also once faced a corresponding set of challenges, advances in telecommunications have, to some degree, leveled the playing field, enabling them to provide radiology services on par with those of their larger peers. ImagingBiz.com spoke with David Harrison, RT, MBA, imaging services manager at Wooster Community Hospital (WCH) in Ohio, about what community hospitals want from their radiologists.
ImagingBiz.com: As imaging services manager at WCH, which aspect of your radiology provider’s service is most important to you?
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Hospital–Imaging-center Integration: Complexities in Search of Solutions
By George Wiley
 This article is the first in a four-part series on options for integrating imaging centers and hospitals.
Given accountable-care organizations, bundled payments, pay for performance, capitation, and medical homes, nobody knows the exact shape that health care will take in the future, but one thing is likely: It won’t look like today’s fee-for-service model. 
 Those who operate outpatient imaging centers know this. Many have already seen volumes drop, or have been buffeted by intrusions into their turf. Hospitals, in the future, will be hubs of care, involved in preadmission and post-discharge planning for their chronically ill patients, with an eye to holding down costs. To a degree that they haven’t been until now, hospitals will be in the driver’s seat. They will have to stay solvent to remain there, however, and this has them looking for new revenue streams.
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Imaging Technology Assessment: Business and Clinical Perspectives
By Cat Vasko
 Investing in a new piece of imaging equipment can be a daunting proposition, particularly when the equipment is in the high-tech—and high-expense—category. For imaging centers, which are facing increasing pressure to make the most of every capital investment, the challenges multiply. What are the clinical and business considerations of most importance to imaging centers, and how do they acquire the information they need to purchase with confidence?
 Mital Patel, director of West Coast business development for Truxtun Radiology Medical Group (a part of RadNet Inc), Bakersfield, California, says, “It’s very important now, with reimbursement going down, to get a return on your investment as quickly as possible—not only in terms of capital, but in terms of patient throughput. Marketability is a factor: In order to achieve that goal, we want something we can market—something that will capture a niche in the patient area.”
John Feller, MD, medical director of Desert Medical Imaging, Indian Wells, California, concurs. He says, “Throughput is very important—making sure workflow is efficient so we can get enough patients through the scanner to justify it financially. The image quality has to be good enough, early on, that you can market it; later, when you’re busy as a result of that marketing, you want to be fast enough to handle that volume.”
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Health-care Reform and Radiology: Introduction
By Cat Vasko
This article is the first in a four-part series on health-care reform’s impact on radiology.  How the majority of provisions from the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) will affect health care (in general) and radiology (in particular) remains to be seen; with the most sweeping changes still pending in the coming years, providers are holding their breaths.
Ed Gaines, chief compliance officer for Medical Management Professionals Inc (MMP), Atlanta, Georgia, says, “The uncertainty is what makes it scary. There are over a thousand references in the PPACA to the words ‘the secretary [of HHS] shall.’ Well, the secretary is pumping out regulations, but until those regulations are issued, it is probably too early to tell exactly what the impact will be.”
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Merger Creates Nation’s Second-Largest Radiology Practice
In a move that has created the second-largest radiology group in the U.S., Radiology Associates of Tarrant County (RATC), Southwest Imaging and Interventional Specialists (SIIS), and Grapevine Radiology Associates (GRA) have entered an agreement to merge their respective radiology practices, effective this past Tuesday.
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Spectral Mammography Said To Hold Promise For Breast Cancer Diagnosis
Spectral mammography offers promising diagnostic benefits for breast cancer, according to the first clinical results of a research project conducted by Sectra. Published in the February issue of Radiology,the results will be presented tomorrow at a symposium dedicated to breast cancer detection and ways of improving cancer detection with photon-counting technology. The symposium is part of the program of the 2011 European Congress of Radiology in Vienna.
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GAO Pegs Medicare Fraud At $48 Billion In 2010
Fradulent or improper payments accounted for roughly $48 billion of Medicare’s $507 billion budget in 2010, according to a report issued by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).
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ACR Presents Strategies For Reducing Radiation Dose, Unnecessary Imaging
Representatives from the American College of Radiology last week outlined strategies for transforming computed tomography (CT) technology and its use to minimize medical radiation. The representatives made their presentations at the National Institutes of Health “Summit to Focus on Management of Radiation Dose in Computerized Tomography – Emphasis Toward the Sub-mSv CT Exam.”
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New Framework Fosters Self-Sustaining EHR Exchange Networks
A framework to assist states and Washington, D.C., in creating self-sustaining, effective networks for the exchange of EHRs has been announced by the Center for Health Information and Decision Systems (CHIDS) at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business.
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MARCH
Building Better Radiology Marketing Programs
Sponsored by the RBMA
March 20–22
Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, Portland, Oregon
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SIR Annual Scientific Meeting
Sponsored by the Society of Interventional Radiology
March 26–31
McCormick Place (West Building) Chicago, Illinois
Register >>
Congress on Healthcare Leadership
Sponsored by the American College of Healthcare Executives
March 21–24
Hilton Chicago and Palmer House Hilton Chicago, Illinois
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Imaging 100
Sponsored by Lincoln Healthcare Events
March 20–23
Chateau Elan Golf Resort and Winery Braselton, Georgia
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APRIL
AQI 2011 Annual Meeting and Legislative Conference
Sponsored by the Association for Quality Imaging
April 12–13
The Washington Court Hotel, Washington, DC
Register >>
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