If you are having trouble viewing this email you can view it online

Building a Better Radiology Group
by Cat Vasko

What will the radiology group look like in five years, and how can today’s groups position themselves not only to survive, but to thrive? These are the key questions on the imaging industry’s mind as reimbursement rates continue to decline, regulatory changes create enhanced oversight, and the pressure to capture business mounts.

Howard Kessler, MD, of Union Imaging Center in Union, New Jersey, takes the optimistic view: He predicts that five years down the road, groups that make intelligent, strategic decisions now will see ample returns. “Groups will do well if they look at emerging opportunities as ways they can achieve more efficiency and greater productivity,” he says.

Millennium Medical Imaging Maximizes Productivity to Build Hospital Relationships
by Cat Vasko

As in any industry, the end result of imaging is a product, and Tariq Gill, MD, says that honing the quality of this product will be critical to radiology’s future. Gill is a radiologist and quality-assurance officer for Millennium Medical Imaging in Troy, New York. “In radiology, we don’t think of our activity as a product,” he observes. “We lack branding—but any practice that doesn’t have a brand will probably cease to exist.”

Gill says that it wasn’t always this way; he sees the recent regulatory focus on imaging, complete with constraints and cuts, as a boon to the profession, in many ways. “As much as it seems like an inconvenience, it brings radiology to the forefront,” he says. “We finally have some prestige as physicians, but there’s a price to pay for that as well.”

Spectrum Medical Group Broadens Its Scope Through Subspecialization and New Specialties
by Cat Vasko

When Spectrum Medical Group, Portland, Maine, was formed in 1996—living up to its name by bringing together radiologists, pathologists, anesthesiologists, and radiation oncologists—the multispecialty group was already preparing for the difficult market conditions on the horizon: increases in managed care and capitated physician payments. David Landry, CEO, says, “At that time, we were looking at diversifying our practice to be prepared for what we saw coming down the pike in terms of financing reform. We feel very fortunate that we had that earlier experience; where we sit now is very reminiscent of where we were 15 years ago.”

Today, Spectrum Medical Group has 150 physicians spread across its four specialties, and it plans to bring on 50 or more additional physicians in the next two to five years; 60 of its current physicians are radiologists sharing the workload from 17 hospitals. Spectrum Medical Group is preparing for the changes to come, Landry says, by nurturing and emphasizing its physicians’ ability to subspecialize, positioning the group to provide its services to an increasing number of clients.

Measuring and Improving Productivity in General Radiology

---

RAs Not Ready for Primetime—Yet

---

Long Workdays Affect Radiologist Accuracy

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