St. Peter’s Hospital in Helena, Mont., has accused a radiology group that formerly provided imaging services to the hospital of reading 3,000 mammograms on incorrect equipment in 2008, according to a report in Helena Independent Record.

Next week, many of us in imaging will be taking a deep breath, completing a final survey of the practice management and clinical landscape while simultaneously finalizing a game plan for RSNA. The savviest among us have devised a strategy not just for RSNA but for the coming year and beyond.

A comprehensive program to reduce CT dose while maintaining diagnostic image quality has paid off for Imaging Healthcare Specialists, according to an analysis in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology. The practice has assessed its program through the American College of Radiology Dose Index Registry and found some of its protocols expose patients to half the dose of similar sites.

Health information exchanges (HIEs) have been touted for their potential to reduce societal healthcare costs, but pricing and subscription policies for organizations participating in an HIE have been hard to compute. A team of researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison (UW), however, may have made the task easier thanks to a linear programming (LP) model.

Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has installed GE Healthcare’s DoseWatch technology, a radiation dose-tracking and reporting system that seeks to analyze patient exposure levels over time.

Toshiba America Medical Systems has launched Reimbursement Rx, an online portal designed to provide hospitals with answers to coding and reimbursement questions.

Practices should not delay implementation of quality initiatives mandated by the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) as bonuses for compliance will soon evolve into penalties for nonparticipation, according to an article published in the November issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

And just like that, it was over. The 2012 presidential campaign came to an end this week, capping another seemingly endless election season. The effects of the election, of course, will be felt for some time, particularly in the realm of healthcare.