Dear AuntMinnie Member,
CHICAGO - Frustrated with rising costs for medical imaging, insurance payors and government regulators are eying radiology benefits management (RBM) firms as a possible solution. But could healthcare information technology offer a better tool that's also less intrusive to physicians?
The question was asked at a presentation on Monday at this week's Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) meeting. We're featuring coverage of the show in our Healthcare IT Digital Community.
The presentation detailed how Massachusetts General Hospital of Boston was able to cut growth in advanced imaging utilization through a decision-support module added to its radiology order entry software. In addition to telling physicians whether their radiology orders were appropriate, the software enables administrators to analyze ordering patterns and give physicians feedback on their use of imaging -- without the heavy-handedness of an RBM. Get the rest of the story by clicking here.
Verifying patient insurance
In other news, we bring you the story of a start-up company that's using healthcare IT to help imaging facilities check the insurance status of patients when they present for studies -- without having to wade through multiple Web pages from different payors or call multiple verification hotlines.
The firm believes its software can reduce the amount of time that office staff spends following up on denied claims, in turn helping imaging facilities operate more efficiently. Click here to read the story, or visit our Healthcare IT Digital Community at healthcareit.auntminnie.com.
