Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The Obama administration this week released its proposed federal budget for the 2016 fiscal year. The Republican majority in Congress means that most of the document is more of a wish list than legislation that has a chance of passage, but pundits say there may be some room for compromise here and there. And the document does provide interesting insights into the administration's priorities for healthcare.
The proposed budget mostly refrains from any new initiatives that would severely impact radiology. For example, it takes another run at fixing the sustainable growth rate problem, as the current temporary fix is set to expire on March 31.
Radiology advocates are looking closely, though, at a proposal that could reduce payments to hospital outpatient imaging departments. The administration believes the change could save $29.5 billion in payments through 2025; the question is whether the proposal makes it into a final budget.
Learn more by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Leaders Community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
More MPI in the ED?
Should nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) scans be performed in the emergency department (ED) to triage patients presenting with signs of cardiac problems?
That is the proposal by Dr. Bruce Eagleson of the Lebanon Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Lebanon, PA, who spoke on the topic at the just-concluded Canadian Association of Nuclear Medicine meeting in Montreal.
Dr. Eagleson believes that stress nuclear MPI scans could be useful in preventing the discharge of patients who might otherwise go on to have a cardiac event. But there are a number of barriers to offering the scans ... find out what they are by clicking here, or visit our Molecular Imaging Community at molecular.auntminnie.com.
PACS and the American Way
In other news, we offer you two perspectives on PACS and teleradiology in our Imaging Informatics Community.
In the first article, consultant Michael J. Cannavo -- aka the PACSman -- offers his view on the relationship between truth and the way PACS is marketed in the U.S. As you might expect, Mike finds a disconnect between reality and the information that many vendors convey to customers or sales prospects. This can greatly affect customer retention, he believes. Learn more by clicking here.
For another perspective, check out our latest article by Dr. Saurabh Jha on teleradiology in India. U.S. radiologists often fear that teleradiologists from low-cost countries such as India are out to steal their jobs. But one of the country's most noted teleradiologists, Dr. Sumer Sethi, reveals that radiologists in India are busy enough with work from inside the country. Read more by clicking here.
