Overall revenues in the North American diagnostic imaging equipment market will surpass $9 billion by the year 2018, according to market research and consulting firm GlobalData.

Nov. 30, 8:30-10:00 a.m. | S504AB | This session will help participants understand how healthcare delivery can be optimized at an acceptable cost by aligning department and hospital missions. It also considers approaches to help the next generation of radiologists decrease overutilization, enhance safety and decrease cost.

Nov. 28, 8:30-10:00 a.m. | S504AB | This session looks at bonus compensation within academic radiology departments and describes the advantages and disadvantages of productivity-only incentive plans. It also touches on how to ensure fairness and a team atmosphere with incentive-based plans.

Nov. 27, 4:30-6:00 p.m. | S504AB | The rise of consumerism in radiology is changing the way the specialty is practiced. This session looks at strategies to help practices prepare for this shift and how radiologists can create a bond with consumers.

In 2010, providers who self-referred likely made 400,000 more referrals for advanced imaging services than they would have had they not been self-referring, with the extra referrals costing Medicare approximately $109 million, according to a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

The vendor-neutral archive (VNA) market, which earned revenues of $110.5 million in 2011, is estimated to grow to $210 million in 2018, according to market research and consulting firm Frost & Sullivan.

Researchers tallied a 21 percent drop in imaging spending since 2006 and observed a 6 percent increase in hospital length of stay during the same time frame. The finding suggests that every dollar saved on imaging might translate into an additional unnecessary three dollars in downstream costs, according to an American College of Radiology think tank.

To prepare for a transition from fee-for-service payments to value-based reimbursement, radiologists must better demonstrate their value, which can be accomplished by focusing on time as a value measure, according to an article published in the October issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.