Dear Imaging Informatics Insider,
Old proverbs are often great methods for passing along timeless wisdom. The lessons they contain can also be quite valuable for those planning to shop for a new PACS at the upcoming RSNA 2015 meeting in Chicago, according to PACS consultant Michael J. Cannavo.
In the latest edition of his popular Straight Talk From the PACSman series, Mr. Cannavo shares how it's crucial to ask the right questions of PACS vendors to get the answers you need. His column serves as this newsletter's Insider Exclusive, which you can access before our regular members.
In other news, U.S. government activities feature prominently in this issue. The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently postponed its January 1, 2017, deadline for when physicians must start ordering advanced imaging studies with clinical decision support that is based on appropriate use criteria. The delay generated mixed reactions, with some expressing disappointment and others believing the move was reasonable to get the program right the first time. Click here for our coverage.
Earlier, CMS and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology issued the final rules for the meaningful use IT stimulus initiative. While many had hoped for a delay to stage 3 of meaningful use, they unfortunately were disappointed in the outcome. Click here for all of the details.
Expressing concern over the plans to move ahead with stage 3, a number of medical groups have lobbied Congress to intervene before physicians decide to no longer participate in the initiative. You can access our coverage by clicking here.
Data analytics can help radiology practices not just survive, but thrive, according to Dr. William Boonn from the University of Pennsylvania and imaging analytics software developer Montage Healthcare Solutions. Click here to learn how to make use of this increasingly vital technology.
It will take human oversight and interpretation to make the most of the potential for analytics in medicine, according to a recent event hosted by GE Healthcare. Click here for our report from Editor-in-Chief Brian Casey.
Not surprisingly, analytics will also be front and center this year at RSNA 2015, as you'll discover in our Road to RSNA sections on Imaging Informatics and Healthcare IT. Check back over the coming weeks for coverage of these and other topics being presented at McCormick Place.
Is there a story you'd like to see covered in your Imaging Informatics Community? As always, please feel free to drop me a line.
