Reversing its role as a major contributor to the growth in Medicare spending in the early 2000s, medical imaging spending growth is now in the bottom 2 percent of spending growth categories in 2011, according to a study published in the December issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. Read more here.
The CMS is giving providers another year to show they've met the Stage 2 criteria of the federal government's incentive program to encourage the adoption and meaningful use of electronic health records. That means the start of the next phase will be pushed back a year. Read more here.
Across the U.S., more than 50% of Medicare payments for diagnostic imaging services are made to nonradiologists, suggests new research presented on Tuesday at the RSNA annual meeting. In fact, Medicare payments to nonradiologists for diagnostic imaging exceeds those to radiologists in 71% of states in the U.S., said Dr. David Rosman of Massachusetts General Hospital. Read [...]
Nationwide Medicare data show that rapid growth in the use of advanced imaging in the U.S. has stopped, according to a presentation given on Tuesday at the RSNA meeting. "Imaging has been widely perceived to be a major cost driver, growing too rapidly and often overused or unnecessary," said presenter Dr. David C. Levin of Thomas Jefferson [...]
The aging Chalk River nuclear reactor was back up and running on Saturday after an unplanned shut down which had triggered worries of a possible medical isotope shortage. Atomic Energy of Canada Limited said repairs had to be made to the fuel rod flask – which fuels and de-fuels the reactor. “The Fuel Rod Flask was returned [...]
November 14, 2013 -- If you were hoping for good news on a comeback in radiology before this year's RSNA meeting, you may have to wait a little longer. Radiology administrators continue to have a pessimistic outlook for the fourth quarter of 2013, according to new data from the Medical Imaging Confidence Index (MICI). Read more [...]
Driven by an aging population in developed nations and rapid growth in developing nations, the global diagnostic imaging market is estimated to grow from $20.7 billion in 2010 to $26.6 billion by 2016, according to market research firm MarketsandMarkets. Read more here.
Curbing geographic variation in imaging use and costs has been a major target of policy efforts in recent years. But it's unclear whether focusing on these factors is the best way to rein in Medicare spending, according to a new study published online in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Read more here.
On September 19th, the U.S. Senate passed an amended version of the Responsible Helium Administration and Stewardship Act, or HR 527, which was approved by the House of Representatives earlier this year. It still needs to be officially signed into law, but this is a major step to averting a helium shortage that had been looming [...]
The Medical Imaging & Technology Alliance (MITA) and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today led a broad coalition of technology, medical, business and education leaders – including the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) – in delivering a letter to Congress calling for urgent approval of legislation that will secure the nation’s helium supply. Read about [...]