Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009 - (Page 3)

From Your Editor CRISTEN C. BOLAN Vol. 49, No. 1 January/February 2009 Chairman/CEO John F. Reilly President/Publisher Sean P. Reilly Editorial Editor Cristen C. Bolan Associate Editor Nick Obradovich Please send press releases to press@rcgpubs.com and chart responses to charts@rcgpubs.com Consulting Editor Maureen Leahy-Patano Healthcare Reform Reality Check With good reason — everyone is extremely tentative about what the Obama administration will do with healthcare. This healthy skepticism is a necessary evil considering now that we have elected our eloquent leader, it is up to us to be the watch dogs who make sure his words become actions. One of the points skeptics and optimists alike keep emphasizing is that government can’t do it all — you need the markets’ buy in, too. Take the plan to reduce healthcare costs through the adoption of electronic healthcare records (EHR). What will be the initial investment? Currently, only about 8 percent of the nation’s 5,000 hospitals and 17 percent of its 800,000 physicians use an EHR. It could take hospitals at least $75 billion to $100 billion over the 10 years to implement the technology, according to independent studies from Harvard, RAND and the Commonwealth Fund. Many of us are also wondering how government can orchestrate the technical implementation of it all. Even for those who use an EHR today, the protocol for interoperability is not mandatory — just strongly suggested. As part of standards compliance, healthcare systems still require a lot of costly service to interface disparate systems. No doubt, the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) org has made strides in promoting interoperability based on the XDS IHE Integration Profile using HL7 and DICOM, but this has been going on for more than 10 years. Why so slow? Is it possible the vendors have been dragging their feet? The same thing goes for Web-based services, which enable users to access programs, like PACS, 3D, RIS, EMR, CPOE, online and at a reduced cost compared to the thick-client solutions. Just read about Dr. Paul J. Chang’s clinical study, which will use Web services to enhance Radiology to Close the radiology workflow in Imaging Loop (page 17). For the consumer, Web services sounds like a good deal, but if it makes it harder for vendors to turn a profit, they might not buy in or will drag their feet. Again, the ‘free’ market needs to gel with government initiatives for the plan to pan out. Another big cost generator in the adoption of EHR is paying and training the labor force needed to use the system. This time the vendors are off the hook and even have an opportunity to sell their services. Meanwhile, guess who is footing the bill on this one — why of course the government, aka, the taxpayers. So can commerce and government find mutual incentives? Look to the trailblazers for inspiration. The commonwealth of Massachusetts has developed a plan to fully computerize medical records at its 14,000 physicians’ offices by 2012 and its 63 hospitals by 2014. The estimated cost about $340 million to build the statewide computer system, at a cost of about $2 million per hospital. For everyone involved, I guess it’s the cost of doing business. But compared to the $2 trillion that the industry spends annually, the $100 billion downpayment is just a drop in the bucket. Production Production Manager Kristine Minnich Marketing Director of Marketing Mary LaRusso Circulation and Administration Controller Eleanor Goss Circulation Amy Baumgartner Executive and Editorial Offices: 16 E. Schaumburg Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60194 T: (847)882-6336. F: (847) 519-0166 eMail: info@rcgpubs.com; ITNonline.net Asst. Controller Colleen Reyna Advertising Sales East - Sean Reilly T: (847) 882-6336; F: (847) 882-0631 eMail: sreilly@rcgpubs.com Midwest/New York - Gregg Haunroth T: (608) 562-6537; F: (608) 562-6570 eMail: ghaunroth@rcgpubs.com West - Stephanie A. Ellis T: (847) 882-6336; F: (847) 882-0631 eMail: saellis@rcgpubs.com Editorial Board Katherine Andriole, Ph.D. Michael J. Cannavo Center for Evidence-Based Imaging President in the Department of Radiology at Image Management Consultants Brigham and Women’s Hospital Paul J. Chang, M.D. Professor and Vice-Chairman Radiology Informatics, Medical Director, Pathology Informatics Center University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine, Medical Director Enterprise Imaging, University of Chicago Hospitals James E. Hugh, III senior vice President American Medical Accounting & Consulting (AMAC) Edward M. Smith, Sc.D., FACNP University of Rochester Medical Center Timothy Solberg, Ph.D., FACMP Professor and chief, Medical Physics Department of Radiation Oncology University of Nebraska Medical Daniel Low, Ph.D. associate Professor of Radiation Oncology, Washington University School of Medicine Herman Oosterwijk President, OTech Inc. Contributors Amy Ballard, MEd Director of Clinical Research Arkansas Urology ECRI Institute a not-for-profit organization Amy Lillard Medical Writer Mary Beth Massat President, Massat Media Imaging Technology News (ISSN 0361-4174) is published in Jan., Mar., Apr., May, June, July, Sept., Oct. and Nov. (9 times per year) by Reilly Communications Group, 16 E. Schaumburg Rd., Schaumburg, IL 60194-3536. IMAGING TECHNOLOGY NEWS is mailed to physicians, clinicians, researchers, medical faculty and hospital staff active in diagnosis, clinical analysis, treatment, therapy and biomedical research. Available to others as follows: United States and Possessions $90.00 per year, Canada $120.00 per year and all other countries $150.00 includes air-mail per year. Single copy $15.00. The publisher assumes no responsibility or liability for claims made for any products or services reported or advertised. Reilly Communications Group (RCG), as publisher of Imaging Technology News, is not engaged in providing any specific medical advice, diagnosis or opinions on any medical symptom or condition. Permission to photocopy editorial content is granted only for the "private personal use" of the subscriber. Copying for any other use is expressly prohibited. RCG-produced reprints/e-prints are available; contact 847.882.6336, ext. 172 for information and quotes. Reprints produced by anyone other than RCG are not authorized. We welcome your comments on the topics found in Imaging Technology News. Please send your thoughts to cbolan@rcgpubs.com > > special report Special Report is a high-visibility, theme-focused feature section in Imaging Technology News that provides indepth reporting and analysis on subjects related to a cutting-edge topic. Also available online at ITNonline.net, Special Report will help readers stay abreast of the latest trends in technologies and devices. Next month: Women’s Health > Will BSGI Replace Breast Ultrasound? > PET’s ‘Hot’ Properties Outshine Breast-MR > MR Breast Biopsy ITNonline.net | Jan/Feb 2009 | ITN | 3 http://www.ITNonline.net http://new.reillycomm.com/imaging/special-report-b.php http://www.ITNonline.net

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009

Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009 Contents IMRT Imaging RT Solutions for Troublesome Tumors PACS Radiology to Close the Imaging Loop Will Web-Based PACS Take Over? Is CT Dose Under Control? The Best in Digital Mammography Breast Biopsy Systems MX Series Monitors Provide University of Pennsylvania Quality Assurance Reduce Waste to Raise Revenue

Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009

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