The Industrial-strength Imaging Executive
by Curtis Kauffman-Pickelle
Today’s medical-imaging profession is definitely not for the fragile and weak-kneed among our colleagues. It is becoming increasingly clear that navigating the constant changes and challenges that face the practice of radiology today will be the ultimate test of tenacity, perseverance, and creativity. We’re in the playoffs now, and the game is moving to the big-time arena—where the margin for error is nil.
Finger in the Wind
by Cheryl Proval
Physicians are in a real bind as fee-for-service reimbursement falls under attack and alternative payment methods (such as bundling and capitation) gain traction in Washington, DC. As of June 18, Medicare Part B claims were being processed with the 21.3% cut mandated by the sustainable growth rate’s formula, and House Democrats demanded legislation on jobs before they would pass the Senate bill to reverse the cut.
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We provide strategic business and marketing expertise to assist in the growth of your medical imaging enterprise.
Our clients include radiology practices, imaging centers, and hospitals in large and small markets across the country.
Save the Date:
July 20, 2010 11am ESTTopic
Keep Your Hospital Relationships Healthy: Strategies for Every Practice
Presenters:
Randy Roat, CHBME, VP of Radiology, MMP, and George Ehrhardt, CPA, Director, Practice Management, MMP
Medical Management Professionals, Inc.
Topic
RIS to the Rescue | Strategies for Driving Revenue, Productivity and Profitability
Sectra
Topic
Advanced Visualization | Next-generation Architectures
Visage Imaging
Debunking the Primary Myths of PACS
The road to PACS perfection is paved with distractions and pitfalls, Paul Chang, MD, FSIIM, says. Chang is professor of radiology, vice chair of radiology informatics, and medical director of enterprise imaging at University of Chicago Medical Center in Illinois. During the 2010 Dwyer Lecture, “The Role of Imaging Informatics in the Next Generation of EMR/EHR,” presented June 4, 2010, at the meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Chang used the experiences of other industries to debunk common PACS myths—and to illuminate next-generation requirements for imaging.
Have RIS/PACS, Will Travel
For over thirty years, Radiation Physics Inc (Beltsville, Maryland) has been providing mobile imaging services to the Baltimore and Washington, DC, metropolitan areas, serving long-term–care and assisted-living clients, as well as prisons and private residences.
Executing the Digital Transformation
When Saint Michael’s Medical Center (SMMC), Newark, New Jersey, was acquired by Catholic Health East in 2009, the organization had some catching up to do in the IT department
Crystal Ball: Toward True Enterprise Image Management
As the potential role of informatics in transforming health care gains national attention, how are IT tools for imaging and image management evolving to improve clinical efficiency and bolster quality of care?
Academic PACS: It’s Not Elementary, Watson
In the late 1990s, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, implemented its first PACS
Enterprise Image Management: Bringing Cardiology Into the Fold
Harris County Hospital District (HCHD) is the public health-care system for the nation’s third most populous county (Harris County, Texas); with 44 locations, it generates 420,000 radiology procedures and 70,000 cardiology procedures each year.
Toward True Globalization: The Air Force and PACS
Sharing images across any health care enterprise represents a challenge, but doing so across the Pacific Rim was the dilemma faced in 2003 by the US Air Force.
The Transformational Effects of Informatics on the Practice of Radiology: A Roundtable Discussion
On October 6, 2009, four physicians gathered in Stamford, Connecticut, to participate in a discussion moderated by Cheryl Proval, Radinformatics.com editorial director.
PACS Nirvana: University Radiology’s Reporting-driven Workflow
Ever since digital imaging liberated radiologists from the site of image acquisition.
In the Navy: The DoD and the Future of PACS
The US Navy deployed its first PACS-a military-specified system with limited functionality-in 1996.
A Virtual Coup: The Server Room of the Future
The server requirements of any modern hospital are daunting.
Maximizing RIS Potential
The IT needs of today’s radiology practices are ever evolving, and investing in the latest information solutions can be vital to the survival of a business in an increasingly cost-focused marketplace.
PACS/RIS Replacement: Cheating the Big Bang
Replacing technology is always nerve-wracking, but it is particularly volatile when the systems being replaced are a PACS and a RIS, systems at the heart of daily function for radiology departments and hospitals.
When Worlds Collide: Integrating Radiology and Cardiology Imaging
On August 24, 2008, Good Samaritan Hospital, Vincennes, Ind, became the first site in the country to go live with integration between the Synapse PACS from FUJIFILM Medical Systems USA Inc, Stamford, Conn.
Avoiding Nightmare PACS Outages
Preparation is the difference between unexpected PACS downtime and a nightmare, Michael D. Toland told his audience in Seattle on May 17 at the 2008 annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.
Long-term Data Management and Migration for PACS
PACS data migration is so important that every PACS acquisition should include a plan for outbound migration at the end of that system’s life.
Advance Preparation Is Key to Smooth Migration
When John Mowry, digital imaging manager at Cook’s Children’s Health Care System, Fort Worth, Tex, decided to switch from his legacy PACS to a thin-client, Web-based model, he faced a particularly daunting migration situation.
Leverage PACS IT Support to Grow Referrals
While radiology practices and imaging center operators spend heavily on marketing liaisons to help cement favorable referral patterns, few understand the role that hands-on PACS IT support can play.
My PET/CT Experience: Adding a New Modality to PACS
It was a Tuesday afternoon when I received the call. The new PET/CT scanner was installed, and acceptance testing was about to begin, but my medical physicist informed me that PACS was not listed as a destination.
Grow Your Multisite Business With a Single Sign-on Solution
Six months ago, Jesse Salen, vice president of sales and technology for Online Radiology Medical Group (ORMG), Riverside, Calif, found himself in a situation familiar to many radiology practices.
Enterprise PACS: A Good Thing for Radiology?
PACS took 20 years to mature as a technology in radiology, and it is a necessity today for cost-effective, productive imaging operations.
Get on Board With Virtualized Servers
As any PACS administrator can attest, the cost of advanced imaging technology is higher than the price of a new CT or PET scanner.
Better Than Aspirin: Modality Testing and Troubleshooting
Why does it typically take several days to get a new modality up and running, from a connectivity perspective?
When Disaster Means No Recovery
Does turning to a PACS vendor for disaster archiving add certainty and ease to the recovery process when a mishap occurs and images must be retrieved or a PACS database must be reestablished? One New York hospital’s radiology department thought so.
IT as Gatekeeper: Who’s on PACS?
Allowing physicians, whether they are referrers or outside specialists, access to an outpatient radiology practice’s PACS is a subject that is being discussed with increasing frequency among CIOs.
Quick Tips to Maximize your PACS Site Visit
Selecting a PACS vendor is a long process requiring a significant amount of due diligence.
