CHICAGO--The HITECH (Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health) Act is a not a windfall for radiologists; it is a partly funded mandate that uses stimulus funds that cannot be rescinded despite political posturing to the contrary. The radiology profession needs to get on board with meaningful use and leverage inherent challenges and opportunities, according to a session presented Nov. 29 during the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

CHICAGOReferring physicians have diverse needs from radiologists. RSNA outlined specific details of four specialists needs during the What Referring Physician Needs to Know session presented today at the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

CHICAGOThorough planning and prenuptial agreements with PACS vendors can palliate what will be an unavoidably painful, but potentially valuable, switch of PACS vendors, according to research presented today at the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

CHICAGO--While radiologist assistants (RAs) could potentially increase productivity and revenue within a practice, current reimbursement and licensure restrictions are constricting the field, based on a Nov. 28 presentation from Christine J. Lung, RT, vice president of government relations and public policy for the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), at the annual Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference.

CHICAGOBy bypassing prior authorization in favor of ACR decision support criteria for ordering CT, MRI and other scans, the state of Minnesota saved $28 million in healthcare costs and halted the growth of imaging among 2,300 providers, according to a study presented Nov. 28 at the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

CHICAGO--Eliot L. Siegel, MD, professor of diagnostic radiology and nuclear medicine at the University of Maryland Medical Center and director of radiology at the Baltimore Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Baltimore, spoke with Health Imaging News about a study being presented at RSNA 2010 on iterative reconstruction technologies from major CT vendors, as well as the nationwide status of CT radiation exposure.

CHICAGO--Because infants are 10 times more radiosensitive than adults, radiologists must avidly attempt to reduce the amount of radiation exposure during pediatric imaging procedures, and researchers have found that using a screen capture can reduce dose significantly, according to a presentation this morning at the 96th annual scientific meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

CHICAGO--If the current growth trend in CT use in the emergency department (ED) continues, by 2011, nearly 20 percent of all ED visits may involve a CT exam, according to results of a study presented Nov. 29 at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) and published online in Radiology.