|
If you are having trouble viewing this email you can view it online |
|
Bryan Bogle, CEO of WPMC, explains that the community hospital was in a situation similar to that of many of its peers: Its service offerings had outstripped its radiology capabilities. “There’s no way a 60-bed hospital located in rural Louisiana can access a pediatric neuroradiologist, to use one example,” he says. “The local group was limited in the clinical offerings it could provide.” >> Read More
“There’s a lot of emphasis on prevention and public health,” he says. “This is a major change to our public policy. We liken it to Social Security and Medicare, which continue to evolve; perfection from the start is unrealistic, but there are a lot of possibilities here.” >> Read More
The challenge is further underscored by the enhanced regulatory oversight of mammography. Congress enacted the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 to ensure that all women would have access to high-quality mammography for the detection of breast cancer at its earliest, most treatable stages. These requirements, however, represent a challenge even for the best-equipped facility; a rural clinic or community hospital might lack the IT and personnel resources to meet them adequately. >> Read More
|
|
Winn Parish Medical Center (WPMC) in Winnfield, Louisiana, is like many community hospitals of its size, providing local patients with a broad array of services (ranging from a 24/7 emergency department and general surgery to more specialized services, such as occupational therapy, sports medicine, and cardiac rehabilitation). By mid-2010, though, the 60-bed hospital found itself struggling with one area in particular: its radiology services, which were provided by a small local group of three or four physicians until nine months ago.
Health-care reform—specifically, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA)—mandated sweeping changes to the US health-care system. Some of the more controversial of these, such as the individual mandate to purchase health insurance, are being contested in court, but Jon Bailey, JD, director of the Rural Research and Analysis Program at the Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, Nebraska, notes that among the law’s less publicized effects are some important changes for rural health care. 
Accessing high-quality radiology services in rural areas of the United States always represents a challenge, and nowhere is this dilemma more poignant to both patients and providers than in the area of mammography. Arlene Sussman, MD, director of breast imaging at Virtual Radiologic (vRad), Eden Prairie, Minnesota, says, “Imagine waiting months to get a mammogram because there are not enough specialists to go around: People in outlying areas often postpone a mammogram because it is not convenient, and local hospitals may not invest in the equipment and technology if they don’t have radiologists who are certified in mammography. The result is lack of access to screening and timely diagnosis. It’s an injustice.”
|
You have received this email because you have previously registered your interest in receiving information from imagingBiz 
|
SEND TO A FRIEND Click here if you would like to share this newsletter UNSUBSCRIBE Click here if you do not wish to receive further emails |
All information & images: © Copyright 2011 imagingBiz | 17291 Irvine Blvd, Suite 105, Tustin, CA 92780
|
|