The Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems (AMDIS) and Maestro Strategies have joined forces to create CMIO Advisors, which will seek to assist CMIOs in embracing their roles in various provider settings.   Read more...

Agfa HealthCare has signed an agreement with Ziekenhuis Oost-Limburg (Eastern Limburg Hospital Group) of Limburg, Belgium for the installation of its nursing management system, Orbis Care.   Read more...

Physicians in states with medical liability tort reform laws ordered fewer imaging studies for emergency patients with mild-moderate head trauma, according to a study published July 13 in the online edition of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.   Read more...

Demand for radiologists is expected to exceed supply by 8 to 16 percent over the next 10 years, according to a report by physician recruitment firm LocumTenens.com.   Read more...

The N.Y. State Department of Health is issuing informational pamphlets and child medical imaging cards as part of a campaign to raise awareness about radiation safety issues associated with CT imaging of children. The materials are being provided to 16,000 pediatricians and physicians statewide, who will distribute them to patients and parents.   Read more...

McKesson has been selected by the multi-site independent radiology practice, Association of Alexandria Radiologists, for radiology billing and practice management technologies.   Read more...

An early morning radiologist shift can expedite the communication of urgent findings and improve patient care, according to a study in this month's Journal of the American College of Radiology. “The Joint Commission and the ACR have emphasized the importance of improved communication, particularly of critical test results, for better patient care,” Rathachai Kaewlai, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, shared with Health Imaging News.   Read more...

Massachusetts State Auditor Joe DeNucci has reported that the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth, may be losing millions of dollars due to unnecessary advanced imaging services, such as CT and MRI exams.   Read more...

While diagnostic errors are encountered in every specialty and are generally lowest (less than five percent) for certain specialties that rely on visual pattern recognition and interpretation (e.g., radiology, pathology, dermatology), error rates in specialties that rely more on data gathering and the combination of different elements for a conclusive diagnosis are higher (10 to 15 percent), according to a September article published in the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Advisory.   Read more...

The CT Colonography (CTC) Coalition has called on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to reconsider its recommendation regarding virtual colorectal cancer screening, following the statement issued by the task force maintaining that further research is still required to make a conclusive recommendation regarding CTC.   Read more...

Brit Systems and healthcare group purchasing organization Amerinet have entered into a three-year agreement for critical test results management.   Read more...

Greenway Medical Technologies has added four health information exchange (HIE) programs, independent physician associations (IPAs) and regional medical centers to its client roster using PrimeSuite, the company’s EHR practice management and interoperability system, to connect group practices using clinical, financial and administrative functions.   Read more...

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a reminder to healthcare providers, health plans, clearinghouses and vendors about the approaching January 2011 compliance date for testing transaction standards.   Read more...

Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla., has fired a licensed radiologic technologist (RT), who was a possible source of transmission of Hepatitis C infection to three transplant patients.   Read more...

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Department of Justice (DoJ) have issued revised Horizontal Merger Guidelines that outline how the federal antitrust agencies evaluate the likely competitive impact of mergers and whether those mergers comply with U.S. antitrust law, which could affect future acquisitions and mergers among hospitals.   Read more...

Patients receiving care from hospitals with the most advanced type of EMRs spend 22.4 percent less time in the emergency room (ER) than at other hospitals, but providers with basic EMRs were associated with longer wait times on average, especially for patients arriving at the ER with truly urgent medical needs, according to research published online in Medical Care Research and Review.   Read more...

A radiologist pay-for-performance program expedited final report turn-around times, according to a study published in the September edition of American Journal of Roentgenology. 
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Pay-for-performance (P4P) programs for hospitals and physicians, often linked to public reporting, have modestly improved the quality of care delivered, according to a RAND Corporation study released Aug. 9 at a Capitol Hill briefing.   Read more...

Radiology professional society guidelines, in and of themselves, do not comprise effective decision support for reducing inappropriate use of medical imaging, opined Ramin Khorasani, MD, MPH, vice chair of radiology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, in the September issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.   Read more...

Establishing a program that mandates full disclosure and compensation to patients with regard to medical errors may potentially reduce malpractice claims, according to a retrospective analysis published in the Aug. 17 edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine.   Read more...