Dear AuntMinnie Member,
If you're an imaging informatics professional in the northeastern U.S., the New York Medical Imaging Informatics Symposium (NYMIIS) was something to look forward to in September. After a one-year hiatus -- and with the help of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) -- NYMIIS is back on the schedule for Thursday, September 7.
NYMIIS has always been the brainchild of Dr. David Hirschorn of Staten Island University Hospital. But recent changes in Dr. Hirschorn's clinical responsibilities forced him to take a step back from organizing the meeting last year.
Fortunately, SIIM has been able to step in and take over many of the organizational details while Dr. Hirschorn focuses on the big picture. This week's meeting will highlight hot topics such as artificial intelligence, virtual and augmented reality, and workflow orchestration.
Learn more about the meeting by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Informatics Community at informatics.auntminnie.com.
More on the Anthem decision
When Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Indianapolis last month announced its decision to require prior authorization for CT and MRI scans in hospital outpatient settings, it sent shock waves through the healthcare industry. We're providing an analysis of the new policy in our Imaging Leaders Community.
The Anthem move is part of a recent trend of "steering," in which payors try to direct patients to a particular form of imaging service that meets their corporate objectives, such as cutting costs. But these objectives may not be good for radiology providers or for patients, according to Dr. Ezequiel Silva, chair of the American College of Radiology's Commission on Economics, who spoke to us about the move. Read more about its possible ramifications by clicking here.
For a related story in our Imaging Leaders Community, read about how Massachusetts General Hospital adopted an in-house utilization management program as an alternative to an external radiology benefits management company. Researchers found that the program was able to cut unnecessary high-cost imaging by 21%. Get the details by clicking here.
Finally, if you're a radiologist who recently had administrative duties added to your portfolio, be sure to read this article by Dr. Geoffrey Rubin of Duke University on how to secure approval for new capital equipment purchases.
These stories and more are in our Imaging Leaders Community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
