The Road to Actionable Information:Q & A with Robert J. Kebbekus

January 31, 2011 | MedAnalytx

Radiology practices interface with many disparate information systems that produce data, but generating meaningful reports that pull information from all of those systems—PACS, RIS, billing, and reporting—is too cumbersome to be done with any regularity. As payors begin to link reimbursement to outcomes and episodes of care... Read More »

Unlocking the Business-intelligence Vaults in Radiology

November 28, 2010 | Feature

In the current climate of accountability, regulation, and continual improvement, radiology managers and administrators are called upon to make timely and informed decisions that affect the quality of their departments’ output (the radiology report) and the financial viability of their practices. Successful managers need a system of measurements (metrics)... Read More »

The ACR GRID Program: Ready for Its Close-up

November 15, 2010 | Imaging Futures

A relative newcomer amongst the ACR® data registries is the General Radiology Improvement Database (GRID) program. Part of the ACR’s National Radiology Data Registry, GRID’s focus is evidence-based health outcomes and process... Read More »

$300,000 Leaner and 97% Happy

October 13, 2010 | NONE

At Portsmouth Regional Hospital in New Hampshire, a team that included members of the radiology department, centralized scheduling, a floor nurse, and the COO entered a room with the goal of improving the satisfaction of customers (including patients, physicians, and nurses). The team emerged, five days later, with a... Read More »

Getting Started

October 13, 2010 | NONE

Anne Daley, a senior consultant at Chi Solutions Inc, Ann Arbor, Michigan, offers a few examples of easy-to-implement lean activities that can lead to important process changes for radiology (while acclimating both leaders and staff to the new methods). “When you first start doing lean services, in my opinion,... Read More »

The One With the Most Data Wins

October 11, 2010 | The Big Picture

Well, almost: Virtually every practice or hospital has tons of raw data. Getting data is not the issue. The real issue is having the knowledge and skill to interpret the data and develop strategies based on the stories told deep within data catacombs. This is what separates level 5 performers... Read More »

Measuring Up:  Integrating Performance Benchmarks Into the Practice

September 03, 2010 | Feature

Within the past 10 years, the topic of physician-performance benchmarking has progressed from contentious to being one on which entire meetings in the radiology community are based. Some industry analysts say that this evolution has occurred because measuring physician performance has become a necessity, in today’s health-care environment, due... Read More »

Finding Benchmarks for Imaging’s Operating Costs

October 02, 2009 | Priors

The operational management of medical imaging is obviously a significant expense, yet it has rarely been studied. In 1999, 55% of imaging costs were spent on compensation.¹ Today, compensation accounts for 65% of imaging costs.² Since salaries have remained in line with inflation rates, this means that staffing levels, overtime,... Read More »

Managing by Benchmarks: Making the Case for Accountability

May 01, 2009 | Feature

Benchmarks enable managers to gain knowledge of their organizations and build a culture of accountability

Corporate CEO Jack Welch adopted a statement of management expert Peter Drucker (1909–2005) as a favorite saying: What gets measured gets managed. This phrase is particularly true when applied to radiology and imaging... Read More »

Retail Metrics: Opportunity Knocks Every Time the Threshold Darkens

November 16, 2008 | RadBrand Builder

When a customer walks in the door, Mark Schulein sees opportunities. The first opportunity is to create an experience so memorable that the customer will not only want to return, but will also be inspired enough to tell family and friends about the visit. Second, he sees numbers. For... Read More »

Benchmarking the Cost of Processing Charges: Is Your Cost Too High?

April 15, 2008 | Revenue Track

Radiology practices create the largest number of new accounts per month of any specialty within a health care delivery system. On average, a practice reading 500,000 examinations per year would generate 35,000 new accounts per month. The billing issue that confronts every radiology practice is achieving a balance between processing costs... Read More »

In Search of Best Practices: Benchmarking and Information Sharing

July 15, 2007 | Think Tank

I had the opportunity to be guest at the strategic planning session for the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) a few years ago. This meeting consisted of the board members of RBMA and chairs of the various committees and at one point addressed the need of data in benchmarking... Read More »