National Imaging Associates (NIA) and the American College of Radiation Oncology (ACRO) have signed a collaborative agreement to establish guidelines in radiation therapy treatment.

Researchers have leveraged quantitative CT to identify two types of structural changes in the lungs of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) associated with frequent exacerbations, according to a study published online July 25 in Radiology. The findings may help identify patients for targeted research and therapy development for individual phenotypes.

Noncompetition covenants (noncompetes) haunt radiologists throughout their careers, and require meticulous legal advice, posed an article in the July issue of Journal of American College of Radiology. However, confusion need not reign supreme.

As solo physicians become increasingly corralled up by multispecialty practices and larger organizations, medicine faces a growing bureaucratic trend, for patients and physicians. Though the thought of bureaucracy may conjure negative sentiments, radiology can learn and benefit from some important models of bureaucracy, according to the author of an article published in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Three Ohio-area hospitals have decided to cut short their contract with teleradiology provider Imaging Advantage in an attempt to shift to a self-employed radiology model by the end of 2012.

As the government and payors try to rein in imaging costs and eliminate inappropriate exams, a cascade of studies has attacked radiologys handling of incidental findings. Recent articles on pulmonary emboli, cardiac CT, emergency imaging and internal medicine have pointed to the high volume of incidentalomas that bring about additional testing, potential complications and on the whole, little change to patient management.

The business of healthcare in general and radiology specifically has grown exponentially more challenging in recent years. A variety of factorsan aging population, healthcare reform, evolving payment modelshave converged and unleashed a storm.

By any measure, 2009 has been a rough year for medical imaging. The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that could change Medicare payments for advanced diagnostic imaging procedures, such as MRI, CT, PET and nuclear medicine, through an increase in the equipment utilization rate assumption from 50 percent to 75 percent.