The American College of Radiology applauds steps to reign in medical imaging and radiation oncology self-referral included in the President’s Fiscal Year 2015 budget. However, prior authorization for imaging services, also included the FY 2015 budget, is unnecessary and will ultimately raise costs, interfere in the doctor-patient relationship and restrict ready access to imaging care. Read [...]
ECR 2014, which begins on 6 March, is the 20th ECR to be held in Vienna. Four European radiologists, including three members of AuntMinnieEurope.com's editorial advisory board, reflect on their first ECR, why they keep returning, and what changes they have observed, and also reveal their hidden or forgotten gems from Vienna. Read more here.
Concerns over reimbursement continue to weigh heavily on the minds of radiology administrators, according to the latest numbers from the Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI). Administrators surveyed for the index's first quarter expressed lower optimism that they would be adequately reimbursed by Medicare. Read more here.
Under growing pressure from hospitals and physicians, the CMS is delaying the most punitive aspects of the new “two midnights” rule for Medicare hospital admissions until after Sept. 30. Read more here.
A bill aiming to repeal the medical device tax sponsored by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) advanced to the Senate Finance Committee in February. Read more here.
Providers, payers and claims clearinghouses can look for no relief from the looming, Oct. 1 compliance deadline for the nationwide conversion to the ICD-10 family of diagnostic and procedural codes, the head of the CMS said Thursday. But some case-by-case exemptions will be made for providers having a tough time meeting their Stage 2 meaningful-use targets, she said. Read more here.
A new way to scan children -- and potentially adults -- for signs of cancer's spread without exposing them to dangerous radiation has been developed, researchers say. Read more here.
Accountable care organizations (ACO) have had varied success so far with diabetes and heart disease patients, according to a Kaiser Health News analysis of Medicare data. Read more here.
If one list of unnecessary medical procedures is good, then two lists should be better, right? That could be the thinking behind a new list released this week in JAMA Internal Medicine of unnecessary tests in emergency medicine that are driving up healthcare costs. And the new list takes aim specifically at medical imaging. Read more here.
Noninvasive cardiovascular imaging in U.S. medical practice today raises two policy challenges, according to a statement released on Feb. 17 by the American College of Cardiology and 13 collaborating medical groups: fostering a volume of imaging that balances patient needs with responsible use of societal resources, and continued improvement in the quality of care based [...]