Policy & Regulations

This channel includes news coverage of healthcare policy and regulations set by Congress, the states, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and medical associations and societies. 

VIDEO: Preparing for Radiology Appropriate Use Criteria Clinical Decision Support Reporting Requirements

VIDEO: Preparing for radiology appropriate use criteria clinical decision support reporting requirements

Lisa Mead, PSO executive director, Strategic Radiology, spoke at the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) 2022 meeting on radiology practices being prepared for the January 2023 deadline to have appropriate use criteria clinical decision support (AUC/CDS) software operational. 

May 3, 2022
Don't delay mammograms after COVID vaccine. Women do not need to delay their mammogram appointment after COVID-19 vaccination. An example of COVID vaccine caused axillary adenopathy. The woman has a family history of breast cancer, but this lesion, seen on breast ultrasound, tested negative in an RSNA study. Women should not wait to get a mammograms after COVID vaccines.

Experts suggest new follow-up imaging protocols for vaccine-related lymphadenopathy

New research shows that persistent lymph node swelling observed on imaging can persist beyond 12 weeks post-vaccination for up to 50% of women.

April 27, 2022
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VIDEO: The importance of the Physician Practice Information Survey and its impact on radiology reimbursements

Linda Wilgus, CPA, CMPE, executive director and chief financial officer of Northwest Radiology Network and a past president of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA), explains the importance of the Physician Practice Information Survey CMS in calculating radiology reimbursements.

April 25, 2022
A medical professional trained to manage contrast reactions should be on-site at any imaging facilities doing contrast studies to maintain patient safety, according to a an updated statement from the American College of Radiology. The ACR has released the latest edition of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria, which includes 221 diagnostic imaging and interventional radiology topics with more than 1,050 clinical variants covering 2,900 clinical scenarios. #ACR #AUC #appropriateuse

Links to 20 new and revised American College of Radiology appropriate use criteria

The American College of Radiology (ACR) released the latest edition of the ACR Appropriateness Criteria

April 20, 2022
An example of a lung cancer found using low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). Image courtesy of RSNA

Experts highlight 'suboptimal' rates of CMS-required shared decision making encounters prior to LDCT

These findings underscore the need for better implementation of shared decision-making (SDM) models, as well as more thorough counseling documentation, as low-dose CT (LDCT) lung screen coverage is dependent on these factors, experts suggested.

April 18, 2022
The ASNC is one of several medical imaging societies asking Congress to repeal the appropriate use criteria (AUC) criteria mandate. They say it poses issues for clinicians and is becoming outdated by changes in CMS payment systems. The AUC requirements call for documentation using CVMS authorized software in order to show advanced imaging such as nuclear and CT is justified, or else Medicare payments might be withheld.

American Society of Nuclear Cardiology urges Congress to speed prior authorizations, repeal AUC mandate 

Over the past few weeks, members of ASNC’s Health Policy Committee have held meetings with their members of Congress.

April 18, 2022

6 ways healthcare organizations can help the disruptive radiologist

Radiologists, like all other people, can sometimes react to difficult situations with disruptive behavior.

April 18, 2022
a doctor at a medical device control panel

WHO issues updated brief 'to spark an overdue cultural change in medical imaging'

The new policy brief for healthcare providers stresses the importance of radiation protection and ethically guided care in medical imaging.

April 13, 2022

Around the web

Automated AI-generated measurements combined with annotated CT images can improve treatment planning and help referring physicians and patients better understand their disease, explained Sarah Jane Rinehart, MD, director of cardiac imaging with Charleston Area Medical Center.

Two advanced algorithms—one for CAC scores and another for segmenting cardiac chamber volumes—outperformed radiologists when assessing low-dose chest CT scans. 

"Gen AI can help tackle repetitive tasks and provide insights into massive datasets, saving valuable time," Thomas Kurian, CEO of Google Cloud, said Tuesday. 

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