Dear Imaging Center Insider,
For better or worse, the Deficit Reduction Act (DRA) of 2005 has landed, and imaging centers across the U.S. are trying to cope.
News headlines have predicted that the legislation will cut as much as 20% of the revenues of standalone imaging centers this year, driving many marginal sites out of business and forcing others to retrench.
The near future for diagnostic imaging seems anything but rosy. Yet there are a number of ways to not only survive but thrive in the post-DRA climate, according to Evan Leepson, a senior consultant for GE Healthcare's Performance Solutions division. In a three-part series, AuntMinnie.com will present what Leepson calls his DRA toolkit -- an invaluable resource for imaging facilities facing the challenges of the DRA.
To read the first installment of this series, on establishing a leadership structure able to adapt to change, click here. As an AuntMinnie.com Imaging Center Insider, you have access to the article days before the rest of our members.
In other news, ODS Companies of Portland has reversed its decision not to reimburse for computer-aided detection (CAD) studies, a move the firm had based on a negative study on CAD published in the April 5, 2007, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. Read our coverage on this breaking news by clicking here.
As for other Imaging Center Digital Community news, learn about five key challenges facing diagnostic radiology today, or about the initial effects of the DRA six months into its implementation. We've also got details about a breakdown of negotiations for a teleradiology deal between Massachusetts General Hospital and a Rhode Island community hospital.
If you have a comment or report to share about any aspect of diagnostic imaging practice, management, administration, regulation, or financing, please contact me at [email protected]. I look forward to hearing from you.
