Neuroimaging clinics of North America
-
Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2012
ReviewNational initiatives for measuring quality performance for the practicing neuroradiologist.
This article provides an overview of the national initiatives developed for monitoring and reporting quality performance measures. Included is a review of the Physician Quality Reporting System, the Hospital Outpatient Quality Data Reporting Program, and the Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System, with specific emphasis on how these programs affect radiology practice. A practical review of these programs allows radiologists to gain further understanding of the economic and political influences on the daily practice of radiology today. The background and relevant features of each program are presented in this article.
-
Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2012
ReviewAccountable care organizations for neuroradiologists: threats and opportunities.
Accountable care organizations (ACOs) are one of the more interesting and (perhaps) highest impact components of the 2010 Federal health care bill. Neuroradiologists should examine them carefully for opportunities to participate and contribute to ACOs as well as to understand the potential threats. ⋯ All specialists should pay close attention to the evolution of ACOs. It seems likely that many of their features will come to pass during the coming decades with substantial impact on the profession.
-
Neuroimaging Clin. N. Am. · Aug 2012
Review Comparative StudyCombating overutilization: radiology benefits managers versus order entry decision support.
Radiology benefits managers (RBMs) and computerized decision support offer different advantages and disadvantages in the efforts to provide appropriate use of radiology resources. RBMs are effective in their hard-stop ability to reject inappropriate studies, incur a significant cost, and interpose an intermediary between patient and physician. Decision support is a more friendly educational product, but has not been implemented for all clinical indications and its efficacy is still being studied.
-
The content and prose method of radiology reporting has remained essentially unchanged for more than 100 years. By leveraging current technologies, the radiology report has the potential to be a multifunctional document providing information in a number of areas including business analytics, quality assurance and safety, regulatory reporting, research and billing. Maturation and adoption of speech recognition, the development of radiology controlled terminologies and standardized reporting templates now allow for the introduction of structured reporting into the clinical setting.
-
Certificate of Need (CON) programs represent a patchwork of state regulatory programs across the United States that regulate the availability of selected health care services. Thirty-six states maintain laws designed to ensure access to health care services, maintain or improve quality, and control capital expenditures on health care services and facilities by limiting unnecessary health facility construction and checking the acquisition of major medical equipment. This article discusses the history of CON and explores controversies surrounding the current state of CON regulations.