During the keynote address at the recent Radiology Leadership Institute (RLI) Annual Event, former Senate Majority and Minority Leader Tom Daschle expressed support for computerized decision support systems that use appropriateness criteria in the ordering of medical imaging exams.

The 4 million pediatric CT scans of the head, spine or abdomen/pelvis performed each year are projected to cause nearly 5,000 future cancers, according to a study published in the August issue of JAMA Pediatrics.

As Congress went to recess last week, one item of business left unfinished was an extension of the Federal Helium Reserve  program, a reservoir of the gas that accounts for 40 percent of the U.S. consumption, according to the Washington Post.

As the AHRA annual meeting in Minneapolis came to a close on Wednesday, the radiology administrators in attendance returned home, hopefully having learned some valuable lessons about dose reduction, patient engagement or any of the other myriad topics discussed at the conference.

MINNEAPOLIS—The Joint Commission’s Sentinel Event Alert, Issue 47, from 2011, made a number of recommendations to reduce the radiation risks of diagnostic imaging. Two years later, practices that have not complied simply require leadership and initiative, as most of the suggested actions are well known and some are easily implemented, according to a presentation July 30 at the annual meeting of the AHRA.

MINNEAPOLIS—Changing fee schedules have been chipping away at radiology payments on multiple fronts, creating a triple threat that looks to continue to reduce charges in the coming years, according to a presentation from Ezequiel Silva III, MD, of University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, delivered at the annual meeting of AHRA.

Tustin, Calif., July 29, 2013 – Providing hospitals with resources to expand or create education and patient care initiatives, AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management announces the sixth year of its Putting Patients First Program. Putting Patients First grants enable healthcare facilities to fund programs, training or seminars aimed at improving patient care and safety in CT, MR, Ultrasound, X-ray and Vascular imaging. The grants are funded by an unrestricted educational grant from Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc.

MINNEAPOLIS—Information is critical and tapping into performance metrics can save hundreds of thousands of dollars, according to Rick Divers and Nicole Faucher, MS, of MedQuest Associates, Alpharetta, Ga., who spoke July 28 at the annual meeting of AHRA.