Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A controversial deal in which Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) would have taken over the majority of reading services for a Rhode Island community hospital is dead -- raising cheers from some imaging professionals who opposed the agreement.
As reported by staff writer Wayne Forrest in our Imaging Center Digital Community, MGH of Boston had been negotiating with Kent County Memorial Hospital to take over much of the Warwick hospital's radiology services via a teleradiology link. Some pundits felt the deal would have set a dangerous precedent, in which prestigious academic centers would swoop in and cherry-pick contracts from local radiology groups.
In the end, that won't happen -- at least this time. MGH and Kent have terminated their talks, and Kent is now asking for bids from several local radiology groups. Get the rest of the details on the story by clicking here.
While the news is a short-term reprieve for advocates of community-based radiology, it's tough to put the teleradiology genie back in the bottle once it's escaped. It's probably only a matter of time before the issue pops up again with different players in a different locale. To join the debate on the story in our Forums, just click here.
In other news, the American Healthcare Radiology Administrators (AHRA) meeting is under way this week in Orlando, and staff writer Kate Madden Yee is on hand to report on the proceedings.
In the meeting's keynote address, Dr. Frank Lexa of the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia discussed some of the powerful forces shaping radiology today, from "disruptive technologies" like extremity MRI scanners to fundamental changes in the way patients are viewing their healthcare providers. Learn more by clicking here.
Another article from the AHRA show covers a case study on the implementation of digital radiography (DR) in the emergency room. Using DR in the ER makes facilities more efficient and responsive, according to the story, which you can reach by clicking here.
Get these stories and more in the Imaging Center Digital Community, at centers.auntminnie.com.
