Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

Example of a curved MPR image reconstruction of entire length of of a coronary artery on a cardiac CT scan to better show calcified and soft plaque burden inside the vessel. The thumbnail dots on the left side of the image are cross sectional views of the vessel. Siemens example on the expo floor.

The CCTA Playbook: A Guide to Coding, Reimbursement and Operations

A compendium of the business intelligence required to launch a CCTA service

Study: Mammograms detect cancers that may have otherwise regressed

Breast cancer rates increased significantly in four Norwegian counties after women there began undergoing mammography every two years, according to a report in Mondays issue of Archives of Internal Medicine.

ACC Corner: “Quality First” in Healthcare Reform Debate

Health system reform is imminent. If you travel anywhere in the United States, you will find physician and patient satisfaction levels decreasing as a result of inconsistent quality, lack of coordinated care and medical liability concerns. Combine these factors with 47 million uninsured Americans, and you have a system primed for reform.

Maximizing Reimbursement, Minimizing Penalties

In today’s healthcare reimbursement scene, reimbursement in cardiology per procedure code tends to be declining. Along with flat or declining volumes and increasing overhead costs, many shareholders are experiencing a downslope in income. Thousands of dollars can be recouped, as well as costly penalties avoided, by paying close attention to billing and coding.

The Back Page: A Quick Primer on Medical Practice Valuation

Today’s uncertain healthcare environment has spurred a new wave of medical practice buy-outs, mergers and purchases. Cardiology practices, which were previously perceived as being impervious to purchase offers by hospitals, are now becoming targets for purchase.

Financing New Technologies: Early Adopters, Lease vs. Purchase, and Joint Ventures

Biting the bullet on a new purchase is always an uncertain proposition, especially in a volatile market. Practices need to learn about the market, weigh the pros and cons of leasing and purchasing and consider competition, reimbursement and regulations.

First Word: Business Complexity Demands Attention to Detail

The intricacy of the business of medicine mandates that leaders pay attention to the smallest details of every aspect of cardiovascular treatment and care. While the articles in this issue span the gamut of cardiovascular imaging, informatics, and management, they have one thing in common: they drill down into the fundamentals of good business practices and sound financial planning.

Cardiac CT: A Sound Business Investment?

Insurers and the government may not be on board, but the medical community sure is: when it comes to improving patient care, cardiac CT is a must-have technology. 

Around the web

Several key trends were evident at the Radiological Society of North America 2024 meeting, including new CT and MR technology and evolving adoption of artificial intelligence.

Ron Blankstein, MD, professor of radiology, Harvard Medical School, explains the use of artificial intelligence to detect heart disease in non-cardiac CT exams.