on April 12, 2013 |
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Topics: Utilization Review, Payer Relations, Reimbursement, Finance, Medicare, Payer and Regulatory Policy, Revenue Cycle, Imaging, Service Lines, Referral Management, Physician Issues, Utilization, Efficiency, Performance Improvement
Ben Lauing, Imaging Performance Partnership
President Obama’s proposed budget may signal major reforms in store for imaging. Self-referral, an issue often debated but rarely acted upon, is now an explicit target; the Obama administration has proposed restricting the in-office ancillary services exception to the Stark law. Furthermore, the budget suggests mandatory pre-authorization for advanced imaging modalities.
While this is only a proposed budget, and Congress could take it or leave it, we think it’s highly likely that regulations to curb imaging utilization will soon emerge.
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President Obama targets self-referrals and pre-authorization
on February 25, 2013 |
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Topics: Around the Nation, Imaging, Service Lines, Utilization, Efficiency, Performance Improvement, Volume Growth, Strategy, Service Line Growth
Shaun Lillard, Imaging Performance Partnership
In the past few years, we’ve heard increasing concern from members about volume volatility in imaging. While we do predict modest increases in imaging volumes across 5 and 10 year time frames, declines are occurring in some modalities from one year to the next. Therefore, helping you understand national trends in imaging volumes has become one of our top priorities each year.
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How did your imaging volumes measure up in 2012?
on January 29, 2013 |
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Topics: Imaging, Service Lines, Appropriateness, Quality, Performance Improvement, Utilization, Efficiency, CPOE, Information Technology, Cost Management, Margin Performance, Finance
Ben Lauing, Imaging Performance Partnership
According to a study profiled in Monday’s Daily Briefing, physicians who could see the prices of common imaging exams were no less likely to order them.
For this year’s Imaging Performance Partnership research, we’ve spoken with many of you about utilization management. Changing payment environments necessitate decreased utilization, but there is no easy fix.
This study reinforces our belief that utilization management efforts must extend beyond simple measures like price transparency to more complex evaluations of ordering guidelines. In fact, the best solutions may involve clinical decision support systems that encompass appropriateness in conjunction with downstream cost and outcomes information.
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In case you missed it: price transparency does not affect utilization
