From the July 2016 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Regulation
It seems every year there are new regulations thrown at imaging that are both time consuming and costly to implement. These regulations often come with what seems like unrealistic timelines with high price tags and stiff fines if they are not implemented by the due date. While every one of the regulations pertaining to imaging is in the best interest of patient care and radiation reduction, often the timelines and capital needed to achieve them are not part of the organization’s long-term plans. Regulations like XR-29 for CT scanners, dose tracking for CT dose, conversion to DR for all imaging procedures and the long-awaited
Clinical Decision Support initiative all have good intentions, but also steep price tags for implementation. How and, in certain cases, if organizations can meet the deadlines still remains to be seen. In certain instances, it may be cheaper to take the fines than implement the new regulations, which could result in PR nightmares. As the drive for both increased patient safety and decreasing reimbursement happen, we will see more of them. How we implement them will be key to our success.
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Imaging leadership has much to consider. We face new and exciting challenges every day. Some easy, but most will be long term and hard to meet. But we are not alone. There is a wealth of information and help out there for each of us to pull from. Local groups as well as managers in other organizations can also be assets. AHRA is the dominant resource for imaging leadership. It has numerous resources that are geared to the imaging leader, and can be a wealth of information for you and your staff. Their conferences and resources cover a wide range of topics and issues related to imaging. If nothing else, it is a great place to discuss issues with peers and share experiences, solutions and sometimes just a good laugh.
Do we have challenges? You bet we do, but as with everything else, there are huge opportunities to be a central part of the changing health care environment and to be the center of patient care which, after all, is why we got into this business in the first place.
About the author: Paul Dubiel is the senior director of imaging at Seton Family of Hospitals, and editor-in-chief of Radiology Management magazine.Back to HCB News
