The U.S. population isn’t getting any younger. Baby boomers are reaching retirement and the age at which they are most at risk for Alzheimer’s disease and cardiovascular disease. Meanwhile, the obesity epidemic continues and the economy is recovering from the recession. What do all these factors mean for healthcare in general, and imaging specifically?

Following up on the effects of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act of 2008 (MIPPA), a report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) stated that a decline in advanced imaging services in recent years was likely driven by factors other than accreditation requirements.

During a college internship, a mentor once told me that journalists are born procrastinators. It’s not out of laziness, he said.

Although many believe that combined CT scans of the thorax are performed too often at many hospitals, a study published online April 24 in the Journal of the American College of Radiology suggests double scans are not being overused in the population at large.

The shift to a digital reading environment has been a leap forward for radiology, but sitting in a dark room cut off from colleagues is not an ideal way to spend the work day.

Expanding the number of individuals eligible for Medicaid coverage does not erode perceived access to care or increase use of emergency services among adult Medicaid enrollees, according to a study published online April 7 by JAMA Internal Medicine. 

Pulmonary nodule evaluation is often inconsistent with guidelines, calling for quality improvement systems before lung cancer screening is widely implemented, according to a study published online April 9 by JAMA Internal Medicine.

At least one in every 20 adults who seek medical care in an emergency room or community health clinic in the U.S. are given the wrong diagnosis, according to a study published by BMJ Quality & Safety on April 16.