Journal of the American College of Radiology : JACR
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The use of race, sex, and ethnicity in medical admissions represents one of the most important ethical and political issues currently before United States medical schools and residency programs. Critics of diversity-weighted admissions argue that academic merit is the only just basis for preferring one applicant over another, that underrepresented groups are difficult to define and constantly changing, and that using preferences to remedy past wrongs merely perpetuates discrimination. Proponents argue that past discrimination must be redressed, that the profession of medicine must produce physicians who mirror the population they serve, and that grades and test scores are not the only way of predicting who will be a good physician. When it comes to the role of diversity in medical school and residency admissions, there is no room for ignorance or apathy, because the futures of both medicine and radiology hang in the balance.
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Practices with good management will outperform their peers and thrive in the future. This article is designed to expose and educate practicing radiologists to a powerful tool that can help design, create, and operate a business-oriented radiology practice. We introduce the mission statement as the most basic embodiment of business strategy. ⋯ Much of what is discussed is difficult or impossible to implement without the proper attitude and attributes in management. The help of trained outside professionals may even be required. Radiologists should embrace the concept of radiology as a business and move immediately to the next step: learning and applying modern business and management concepts to daily medical practice.
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We are currently seeing increasing opportunities to improve patient care with computed tomography (CT). At the same time, we are challenged to use this technology wisely. In particular, we are being asked to balance the benefits against the risks, chiefly those of ionizing radiation. ⋯ In addition, it is helpful to be familiar with measures of radiation pertinent to CT and the doses provided by this modality. This foundation then provides a context in which to discuss the issue of low-dose radiation and cancer risk as well as potential changes in CT practice guidelines and regulation. It is with an understanding of these issues that radiologists and other radiology personnel can participate in an informed discussion with referring physicians and patients and continue to optimize the practice of CT.
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This article presents the complex set of considerations and influences that resulted in the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education' s (ACGME) development of rules to govern the duty hours of residents. The process is demonstrative of the complexity associated with the self-regulation of graduate medical education. At the same time, the ACGME' s development of standards for resident duty hours suggests that self-regulation can be an effective alternative to governmental regulation.