RSNA is taking place as it has for years in Chicago the weekend following Thanksgiving (Nov. 29 – Dec. 4), HealthCare Business News spoke with current president, Dr. Ronald Arenson to find out more about his background, his goals for the association and what to expect at this year’s show.
 
HCB News: What attracted you to a career in health care?
RA: My father was a radiologist and I became very familiar with medicine growing up. I always thought I would be a doctor, but I did work for IBM during college and medical school and was tempted to continue in that direction.
 
HCB News: What attracted you to radiology in particular?
RA: As I mentioned, my father was a radiologist and I felt comfortable with that specialty. But during medical school, I was attracted to several other specialties. The chair of radiology at New York Medical College at the time was Dr. Dick Friedenberg and I was really impressed with him as a person and as a leader in radiology. I think that convinced me to choose radiology after all.
 
HCB News: Why did you decide to be the president of the RSNA?
RA: The RSNA is a world leader in radiology research and education and the premier membership association for radiologists. In addition, the RSNA is in a unique position to provide informatics tools to practicing radiologists to improve the services we provide our patients and referring physicians. My role as president has allowed me to guide the development and refinement of these tools.
 
HCB News: What initiative or initiatives did you champion during your time as president?
RA: As RSNA president, I have stressed the importance of the patient-centered care model and the need for radiology to shift from volume-based to value-based practice. As the health care industry grows increasingly complex and patients become more involved in their medical care, radiology must evolve to be more patient-centered. RSNA has been a driving force in improving quality, efficiency and safety of patient care in medical imaging through informatics initiatives and tools, including teaching files, the RadLex lexicon, structured reporting templates and RSNA Image Share, which gives patients greater control over their medical imaging records.
 
HCB News: What is your most memorable experience of your time as president?
RA: Certainly, being part of the RSNA centennial celebration has been a remarkable experience, providing insights into our history and a glimpse at what the future holds for our specialty. The centennial celebration began at RSNA 2014 and will culminate at the conclusion of RSNA 2015, marking the 100th anniversary of the Society’s founding. But I also should mention that serving on the board of directors of the RSNA and serving as president has allowed me the opportunity to work with an outstanding group of fellow board members and RSNA staff.
 
HCB News: What challenges are RSNA members facing today?
RA: Trying to convert from a volume-based practice to a value-based one is perhaps the greatest challenge facing not only RSNA members, but radiologists across the globe. However, it is not an insurmountable obstacle. We must adapt and evolve with the changing face of health care. One priority must be the elimination of waste in the health care system. If we improve the efficiency of health care delivery, we can improve the patient’s experience throughout the continuum of care.
 
HCB News: What opportunities are on the horizon?
RA: Innovation and informatics have been vital to the advances seen in radiology and, specifically, in RSNA initiatives. I expect that this trend will continue. Precision medicine will play a huge role in health care in the coming years, and will open up new opportunities for utilization of advanced imaging modalities, such as PET/MR and MR spectroscopy.
 
HCB News: What are members requesting the most from their association?
RA: With the health care system in a state of flux and radiology undergoing an unprecedented transition to a new model of care, members want their association to provide the tools, education and opportunities to allow them to navigate the changing tide and to excel in their field. RSNA provides its 54,000 members worldwide with a unique mix of global collaboration and networking opportunities, research support and advancement, access to top peer-reviewed journals, a wide array of educational opportunities and standardization of medical information sharing that will allow them to deliver optimal care to their patients.
 
HCB News: Is there anything new you’d like to highlight for this year’s show?
RA: Last year, we looked back over the past 100 years. This year, our theme is “Innovation is the Key to our Future,” and we will turn our gaze forward. The innovation theme will be front and center throughout the week, from our plenary lectures to the return of the RSNA Centennial Showcase, with new exhibits highlighting the future of medical imaging. Virtual holography, 3-D printing and personalized medicine are among the many astounding innovations on display this year.
 
Also, the RSNA Research and Education Foundation will be hosting a silent auction in conjunction with its Inspire-Innovate-Invest Campaign for Funding Radiology’s Future. People will have the chance to bid on some amazing experiences, while supporting radiology research.
 
HCB News: What are you most excited about regarding this year’s show?
RA: I’m looking forward to the Mexico and Germany Presents sessions, which feature outstanding research and education from our colleagues in those countries. Gaming courses using RSNA Diagnosis Live are back. These courses have been extremely popular and engaging for our attendees. The Virtual Meeting also continues to grow, offering an expanding roster of sessions for those unable to attend the meeting in person or those who want to supplement their onsite meeting experience.
 
HCB News: What are the main reasons to attend?
RA: The RSNA Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting is the world’s leading forum for radiology research and education. With a vast array of scientific presentations and educational courses and exhibits in every subspecialty — as well as a massive technical exhibition featuring cutting-edge equipment and software applications — RSNA 2015 offers attendees all the tools they need to take their practice to the next level. Equally important, with more than 50,000 attendees from around the globe, the meeting creates invaluable opportunities for exchanging knowledge with colleagues from a diverse mix of countries and health care systems.
 
HCB News: Do you believe radiologists entering the field today need a different set of skills than those who have been practicing for years? If so, what skills do they need to master?
RA: The science is advancing so quickly that radiology is a completely different field today than it was a decade or two ago. Understanding and efficient use of new technologies, especially information technologies, are critical as departments move toward centralization of data, mobilization and cloud storage and transmission.
 
Communication is also key. Imaging now plays a vital role in diagnosis, therapy and management of a multitude of medical conditions. In light of rising costs and complex health records, radiologists need to optimize reporting practices and communicate effectively with patients and referring physicians.
 
Please remember that we have a rapidly aging population and that older individuals need much more health care and imaging than do people who are younger. Demand for our services will increase dramatically and we need to be prepared to provide that care efficiently and effectively.
 
HCB News: Do professionals who have been radiologists for years have any significant new skills they should acquire?
RA: Radiologists today really need to stay on top of advances in information technology. These tools can aid efficiency in diagnosis, treatment and communication with patients. However, while we recognize how important technology has been to our specialty, it is imperative that we give equal consideration to patient-centered care. We must utilize information technology to aid in our efforts toward establishing a value-based practice. Also, with increasing health care costs and shrinking reimbursements, it is becoming critical as a specialty that we demonstrate the value of what we do and become recognized members of the patient’s health care team.
 
HCB News: What do you think radiology will look like 10 years from now in regard to technology, training and reimbursement?
RA: We are seeing myriad advancements in decision support, cloud technology, natural language processing and image processing. RSNA will continue to foster new research breakthroughs and offer a wealth of training opportunities to allow radiologists to harness these new technologies to provide optimal care to their patients. Reimbursement continues to be a challenge. We are moving toward an outcome-based environment with bundled services and population management responsibilities becoming the norm and stretching our resources ever further. We must determine what real value means to patients, referring physicians and all players in the health care system, and adapt to the shifting paradigm by integrating the tools and partnerships necessary to construct a truly patient-centered practice.
 
HCB News: Are there any current studies or new technology you’re particularly excited about?
RA: There are a number of terrific advances under development at the current time. Hyperpolarized C13 brings a new family of interesting contrast agents for MR studies. Steerable catheters in interventional MR provide new tools for reaching very small inaccessible blood vessels. MR elastography promises to provide new insight into a host of diseases. Magnetoencephalography has shown terrific discrimination in the brain with resolutions down to milliseconds. And molecular and functional imaging holds great promise in the era of precision medicine.