Dear AuntMinnie Member,
As the year draws to a close, we're pleased to continue our annual tradition of compiling the top 10 stories on AuntMinnie.com for 2016, as measured by member traffic.
Our top story for the year was an article on a plan proposed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to allow nurses with advanced training to take on some duties reserved for physicians, such as ordering and interpreting x-rays. The proposal generated heated opposition from radiologists, and the VA later scaled back the plan to just exam ordering -- but not before the story became our most-read article for the year.
As always, corporate news was a prominent presence in the headlines for 2016. The news that German industrial giant Siemens would be spinning its Siemens Healthineers business off as a separate company landed at No. 2 in our top 10 list.
Meanwhile, the demise of the in-person testing requirement for the American Board of Radiology's maintenance of certification (MOC) program for radiologists occupied the No. 3 slot. Radiologists who had already passed the boards hated the idea of being tested again every 10 years, so they bid good riddance to this proposal.
Other big stories for the year included the sentencing of a Maryland imaging executive who had employees rather than radiologists sign off on imaging exams, and Canon's acquisition of Toshiba Medical Systems. Readers also showed interest in our article on the commercial launch of a new PET radiopharmaceutical, as well as our coverage of a new rule that cuts Medicare and Medicaid payments for analog x-ray studies
We've hope you've enjoyed these stories as much as we've enjoyed bringing them to you. Thank you for your attention and loyalty in 2016, and we look forward to bringing you more important news in 2017!
