Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Many radiology groups are starting to wonder if it's time to circle the wagons. In addition to worrying about reimbursement pressure, healthcare reform, and national radiology groups, many are finding that their biggest customers -- hospitals -- are suddenly driving a much harder bargain.
That's according to a story we're featuring in our Imaging Center Digital Community by associate editor Kate Madden Yee. The article profiles the case of a Northern California radiology practice that suddenly faced life without its most important contract -- a hospital system that decided to hire its own radiologists.
It wouldn't be so remarkable if this were an isolated incident. But the story is just the latest development in a trend that seems to be indicating that hospitals are being much more forceful in their negotiations with radiology groups.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit the community at centers.auntminnie.com.
Reducing pediatric CT dose
In other news, reducing radiation dose has been at the top of the agenda in radiology this year, particularly as it relates to children. In our Pediatric Imaging Digital Community this week, we're spotlighting research on how a group at Stanford University in California approached the problem.
The researchers found that simply adjusting scanner protocols can yield a big drop in radiation dose while preserving diagnostic-quality images. Find out how they did it by clicking here, or visit the community at pediatric.auntminnie.com.
