From the January 2015 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

Last January, CMS announced that it was going to begin evaluating requests for individual physician payment information on a case-by-case basis. The agency made the decision to replace the previous policy because it received more than 130 comments from over 300 organizations and individuals citing the benefits of releasing the data. However, some organizations, including the American Medical Association, opposed making the information public.

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6) Top 10 things you may have missed at RSNA

DOTmed’s News team hit the ground running at the 100th meeting of the RSNA in November and came back with the biggest news from the event. From artifact reduction, 3-D printing breakthroughs, portable to exchangeable DR panels, we broke down the top technology, concepts, and traction-gaining trends across the industry.

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7) Medicare cuts will be severe for standalone imaging centers in 2014

Surprising no one, CMS proposed some large cuts to CT and MR imaging reimbursement in the summer of 2013. In late November they increased those proposals and implemented them at the beginning of this year. By some estimates, those revisions meant certain MR imaging procedures would be cut by as much as 40 percent; the biggest impact promised to be on freestanding imaging centers that rely heavily on CT and MR imaging.

Frequently performed exams, including scans of the neck, brain stem, chest, and lumbar spine, were targeted by the legislation — which also aimed to shorten the length of time required for certain imaging procedures.

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8) New technique could improve image quality in ultrasound

The development of electromagnetic acoustic imaging (EMAI), an imaging technique that combines radiofrequency and ultrasound, captured our readers’ imaginations. Researchers say EMAI can differentiate between benign and malignant lesions while also perceiving blood-filled spaces for cardiovascular applications. Could this be the next step in ultrasound and shear-wave elastography?

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9) Philips changes its management structure

Philips Healthcare made some big changes to its management structure in July when the CEO, Deborah DiSanzo, left the company. All of the health care business groups now report directly to the CEO of Royal Philips, Frans van Houten. By doing that, the reporting lines between Philips Healthcare and the executive committee are much shorter, they told DOTmed News.

January 2015 Magazine

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