Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

Video of Mahadevappa Mahesh, PhD, incoming-AAPM president, professor of radiology and a medical physicist, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, explains key trends in imaging physics presented at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) 2023 meeting.

6 key trends in medical imaging physics

Mahadevappa Mahesh, PhD, incoming American Association of Physicists in Medicine president, discusses key developments in the specialty. 

The rate of radiology reading errors has not changed in 75 years, despite technology advances, explains Michael Bruno, MD, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, who outlines the reasons why.

Error rates in radiology have not changed in 75 years

Radiology report reading errors are as prevalent as ever. Michael Bruno, MD, of Penn State Hershey Medical Center says it's time for that to change.

diagnostic accuracy

Radiologist accuracy takes a hit overnight, especially with advanced imaging exams

Serious discrepancies between preliminary imaging reads and final radiology reports are at risk of accumulating when the prelims are rendered during overnight hours. 

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Experts advocate for more intensive head-and-neck cancer follow-up using FDG-PET/CT

Scientists believe this is the first series demonstrating a significant survival difference in patients monitored with an intensive follow-up strategy via 18F-fludeoxyglucose–positron emission tomography.  

breast cancer screening mammography

AI-based decision support tool can reduce unnecessary breast biopsies, save millions

Scientists at Houston Methodist Hospital developed the intelligent-augmented breast cancer risk calculator, testing it across a large dataset to produce promising results. 

#CTA #acuteischemicstroke #AIS #radiomics

Evidence supporting use of radiomics is 'insufficient' and 'weak,' according to new meta-analysis

Although the predictive power of radiomics has been touted as a tool that could improve patient outcomes, the method has a long way to go before it can be reliably introduced into real-world clinical environments.

medical school students appropriate use criteria imaging

Appropriate use of imaging proven teachable during medical ed

Radiology education researchers have created an image-intensive online course for third- and fourth-year medical students wishing to learn radiology remotely.

Nonphysician practitioners' growing role in imaging interpretations

It has long been known that NPPs increase utilization of radiology services, but new data indicate that they also  are increasingly taking on more imaging interpretation responsibilities.

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RSNA and several other industry societies have shared a new expert consensus document on the significant value of cardiac CT. Echo remains an effective first-line imaging option, the groups wrote, but CT can make a big impact as well. 

"Using AI for tasks like CAC detection can help shift medicine from a reactive approach to the proactive prevention of disease," one researcher said.

Former American Society of Echocardiography president and well-known cardiac ultrasound pioneer Roberto Lang, MD, died at the age of 73. He helped develop 3D echo technology that is now used by care teams on a daily basis.