Dear Imaging Leaders Insider,
Radiologists have long been behind-the-scenes specialists, conducting their work in basement reading rooms and rarely interacting with referring physicians or patients.
As medical imaging gets squeezed by ongoing efforts to rein in healthcare costs, leaders in the field have been calling for radiologists to come out of the shadows and demonstrate the crucial role the specialty plays in the patient care continuum.
But how? In a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, moving reading rooms out of the basement and into clinical areas boosted radiologists' personal interaction with referring physicians -- and their profile. Senior editor Erik L. Ridley describes the study's findings in this edition's Insider Exclusive.
When you've read our featured article, also check out the rest of the Imaging Leaders Digital Community:
- Discover how adding dose and cost information to decision-support software influences exam ordering.
- Find out how California clinicians are handling the implementation of the state's breast density notification law.
- Check out what researchers from Thomas Jefferson University found regarding where radiology referrals are coming from.
- Learn why the slowdown in the growth of U.S. healthcare costs could be a sign of long-term trends rather than a result of the recession.
- Read why the American College of Radiology believes that radiology "citizenship" is the key to the specialty's health.
As always, if you have a comment or report to share about any aspect of diagnostic imaging practice, management, administration, regulation, or financing, I invite you to contact me.
