Diagnostic Reading #31: Five “Must Read” Articles on HIT and Radiology

Reading Time: 3 minutes read

Imaging revenue and ‘collimation creep’ are in the news this week.

This week’s articles in Diagnostic Reading include: strategies to capture revenue; healthcare organizations still hit hardest by data breaches; AI obtains additional info from radiology reports; X-ray cropping can lead to ‘collimation creep’; and Canadians face long wait times for imaging.

Don’t leave radiology money on the table – Diagnostic Imaging

While patient care is always priority number one, the financial bottom line also must be a concern. Without a healthy revenue stream, facilities may be less likely to meet the needs of both patients and staff. This article spotlights strategies for capturing as much revenue as possible, provided at the recent Association of Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) meeting. Review the 4 economic models for building revenue in orthopedic practices in Everything Rad.

Report: for 9th straight year, healthcare organizations hit hardest from data breaches – Healthcare Innovation

For the ninth year in a row, healthcare organizations had the highest cost of a data breach. It was nearly $6.5 million on average, according to the annual “Cost of a Data Breach Report” from IBM Security and the Ponemon Institute. According to the report, the cost of a data breach has risen 12 percent over the past five years, and now costs $3.92 million on average. Also, healthcare organizations take more time than any other sector to identify and contain a breach, according to the report.

AI extracts additional information, context from radiology reports – Radiology Business

Machine learning (ML) can help providers extract all relevant facts from radiology reports in real time, according to a study published in the Journal of Digital Imaging. What set this research apart from the work of others is that it focused on providing additional context that is often left out during other information extraction (IE) tasks, according to the authors. The system worked so well that it was able to key in on facts it had never even “seen” before. Researchers say this is a key finding because it shows the system is not limited by “pre-specified vocabularies and ontologies.”

Cropping of digital X-rays can lead to ‘collimation creep’ – AuntMinnie Europe

Research from the U.K. and the United Arab Emirates suggests that the effort to produce ‘prettier’ X-ray images can lead to ‘collimation creep’. The team found that many radiographers were using the cropping feature available with DR software to adjust images after they were exposed to make them look better, rather than positioning patients properly within the x-ray beam and using correct collimation settings. The research was published in a recent article in the Journal of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences. One author stated that this practice could lead to an increase in radiation dose levels over time. Read the blog on pediatric diagnostic reference levels.

Excessive wait times for medical imaging hurts Canadians – Canadian Healthcare Technology

Long wait times for diagnostic imaging procedures is a growing problem for Canadians—hurting both patients and the country as a whole—according to Michael Barry, President of the Canadian Association of Radiologists. In a recent article in the Journal Pioneer, Barry said “We need the federal government’s support to rectify this problem by taking a leadership role in improving the lives of patients.” Barry called on governments across the country to allocate $1.1 billion for medical imaging equipment over five years to reduce wait times and improve care.

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