Only 15 percent of self-referred high-tech imaging occurs on the same day as the physician's order, calling into question any benefit from self-referral and the higher imaging rates with which it's associated, while leading researchers at the American College of Radiology to call for potentially terminating Medicare reimbursements for self-referred high-tech imaging, according to a study published in the December issue of Health Affairs.

The University of Colorado Hospital has chosen the technology company InterSystems' Ensemble integration and development platform for enterprisewide integration.

Riverside Methodist Hospital, part of OhioHealth, plans to implement the McKessons CytoCare robot for IV automation.

Agfa HealthCare has entered into a value-added reseller agreement with TeraRecon, enabling the company to sell TeraRecon's advanced visualization and decision support program, iNtution, loaded on Agfa's PACS.

CHICAGO--Radiology's implementation of IT to improve appropriateness is essential to reducing wasteful imaging and rescue radiologists from being sitting targets in Washington, D.C., according to a presentation given Dec. 1 at the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

CHICAGO--The current U.S. economic and political environment will continue to adversely impact healthcare, according to Elias A. Zerhouni, MD, for director of the National Institutes of Health, who provided the national perspective in the View from Above lecture on Nov. 29 at the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Use of defibrillators, physiologic monitors, electrocardiographs, vital signs monitors and other medical devices is widespread among 825 U.S. hospitals providing data on medical device utilization. However, only a third of these hospitals are integrating data from such devices with their EMR, according to a HIMSS Analytics whitepaper released this week.

CHICAGOImplementing IT advances into radiology departments and practices drives critical improvements in patient safety, quality and efficiency, according to a presentation given Dec. 1 at the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).