The best laid plans

Lisa Fratt, Editor, Health Imaging

When we conceived of the Health Imaging“Best of Fridays,” the plan was to recap the top news of the week and offer a bit of insightful analysis. This morning, however, news seems to be coming out in firehose fashion.

For starters, the American Association for Thoracic Surgery has issued new lung cancer screening guidelines that could expand the pool of U.S. adults eligible for screening CT to 94 million. How will the clinical and payor communities react? Reimbursement has been a primary barrier to lung cancer screening uptake. Another critical prerequisite is the need for a comprehensive multi-disciplinary model—CT screening is not a one-stop shop. Look for stakeholders’ reactions and suggestions over the next few weeks in Health Imaging.   

Continuing to look ahead to next week, we’ll dig into a study exploring the impact of the state of Connecticut’s breast ultrasound screening legislation.

All eyes may be on another piece of legislation next week, though, as the Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Health Imaging team is tracking the topic and will share the results with our audience as the decision unfolds.

Another piece of legislation of top concern to the imaging community is California’s SB 1237, which takes effect July 1. In the July issue of Health Imaging magazine, we visit a mid-sized hospital to learn about how they prepped for compliance and what it may mean for the radiology providers in the other 49 states.

It’s been a busy week, and I can safely predict that next week promises to outdo this week.

Please share your top issues and news with me. I look forward to hearing from you.

Lisa Fratt, editor