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.
Consulting and Marketing Services
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
The Cosmetic Frontier: BOTOX and Beyond
According to data¹ from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), the number of cosmetic procedures performed in the United States has spiked in the past decade; ASAPS estimates that injections of botulinum toxin A (BOTOX®, Allergan, Inc, Irvine, California) increased by over 3,000% between 1997 and 2003, while collagen injections increased by a more modest 79%.
Building an Efficient, Effective Women’s Imaging Service
In a niche notorious for its comparatively low reimbursement, every step along the care continuum must be patient focused…
JAMA Article Slams Mammography: At What Cost?
When JAMA published an opinion piece1 in October 2009 questioning the effectiveness of mammography screening and calling for new screening protocols to separate life-threatening cancers from less harmful lesions, the mammography community reacted with alarm.
The Reality of Digital Mammography: How Digital Are You?
Digital mammograms are now being delivered at more than 50% of the mammography sites in the nation.
Turf Versus Merit: St. Luke’s Centralizes Breast Care
Hospitals do not cede turf easily to competitors, even within the collegial environment of a multisite system. That, however, is precisely what had to happen before St. Luke’s Hospital and Health Network, Bethlehem, Pa, could centralize breast care among its four hospitals and six outpatient imaging sites in a regional diagnostic breast-imaging center.
Marketing and Wellness Initiatives
Building a profitable breast imaging service entails deploying the right technology for a multimodality approach, effectively triaging high-risk women, and taking great overall care of the CEOs of family health
Premium Ultrasound Dressed Up and Ready for Its Close-up
New applications made possible by improved transducer technology and system software are having an impact on radiologists’ practice patterns
Building a Turnkey Women’s Imaging Service
Building a profitable breast imaging service entails deploying the right technology for a multimodality approach, effectively triaging high-risk women, and taking great overall care of the CEOs of family health
Standardizing Mammographic Workflow and Interpretation
The passage of the Mammography Quality Standards Act of 1992 (MQSA) ushered in a new era in breast imaging.
Lossless and Lossy: Study Supports Compression of Mammograms
Compression of images is not an alien concept in radiology.
MQSA: Numerically Speaking
Though the population of women over 40 is on the rise, the number of mammography facilities fully certified in compliance with the provisions of the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) has declined slightly over the past five years.
The Rise of Vertically Integrated Women’s Imaging
Providing the full continuum of breast care earns the loyalty of the all-important female health care consumer, considerable downstream imaging, and the mammography annuity
Taking Charge of FFDM Workflow
Radiographic mammography can be difficult to interpret, and radiologists who read mammograms rely on prior studies to guide them.
UltraClinics: Same-day Cancer Diagnosis in Search of a Market
UltraClinics, Inc, is a company prepared to offer same-day interpretation of breast-biopsy tissue and, if needed, teleoncology consultation for women undergoing breast-cancer screening.
Breast Imaging Paradox: It’s About the Annuity
In 2002, Norwalk Radiology—like many radiology practices across the nation—reached a crossroads.
Street Scan: Hologic Buys Cytyc and a Foot in the OB/GYN Door
With its announcement that it would buy Cytyc, Marlborough, Mass, for $6.2 billion, Hologic Inc, Bedford, Mass, broadens its position in the women’s health care market and buys access to its gatekeeper.
Breast MRI: An Imaging Center Opportunity to Raise Bar of Care
New guidelines from the American Cancer Society [1] recommending annual breast MRI for high-risk women are expected to result in significantly expanded demand for the study.
Q & A with Daniel D. Maki, MD: A Very Good Month for Breast MRI
March initiated what could be a sea change in the diagnosis of breast cancer in high-risk women, with results of a breast MR study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and, in the same week, new guidelines issued from the American Cancer Society (ACS) that recommended breast MR as a screening tool for high-risk women.
First, Do No Harm
The past few weeks have witnessed some rather remarkable national press reports about this marvelous profession that is the broad field of diagnostic imaging.
Squeezing Blood from a Turnip
There are several reasons to offer mammography in a freestanding imaging center, although profits are not usually one of them.
