This Month in Radiology News - June 2022

Keep up with the latest radiology news and insights from the industry’s trusted legal partner, Ged Lawyers. Here is an overview of what happened this month in the radiology and medical imaging field. 

What’s New in FL Radiology

1) A New Medical Imaging Center Opens in Tallahassee

HCA Florida Capital Hospital is set to open a new medical imaging center in Tallahassee before the end of this year. The $3.5 Million center features the latest technologies for diagnostic exams to help the community have more access to imaging procedures, such as mammography. 

According to Alan Keese, the CEO of HCA Florida, one of the best health strategies is preventive health screening. Therefore, by opening a screening center with mammography, women will have more screening opportunities, where breast cancer is caught early and given timely medical attention. 

2) National Academy of Medicine Names 11 Scholars in Diagnostic Excellence for 2022

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has selected 11 exceptional scholars for the Diagnostic Excellence program for 2022. The one-year, part-time program is a collaborative effort by the Gordon and Betty Foundation and the Council of Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS).  The goal of the program is to improve clinical diagnosis at the national level and help scholars accelerate their careers as national leaders in the field. 

The criteria for choosing the scholars were based on individuals' professional accomplishments and their potential to advance diagnostic excellence and equity. The quality and feasibility of their program proposals to improve diagnosis and reduce diagnostic errors at the national level was also a key factor in selecting the scholars. 

Over the one year, the scholars will be working towards implementing their proposals. They’ll also participate in a structured online curriculum, learning activities, and professional networking opportunities within NAM and CMSS. Additionally, each scholar will be matched with a mentor to offer them professional guidance in their areas of research. 

Industry Updates

1)An Update on the Shortage Hitting CT Scans

China's

response to an increase in coronavirus cases in Shanghai is affecting operations of medical imaging centers in the U.S. Hospitals in the U.S have been forced to ration medical scans following a lockdown of a plant in Shanghai that manufactures the contrast dye. 

The iodine-based compound, made by General Electric (GE), makes the scans readable making it easy for doctors to detect and monitor cancer or identify clots in the heart and the brain. According to Jennifer Harvey, University of Rochester Medicine’s chief of imaging, the GE production plant is working around the problem by creating ‘sleep at work’ arrangements to ensure that the production is going on. These efforts have kept the production of the dye at 60% of the pre-lockdown levels. 

However, there is a concern that the situation could even be worse if there is another unanticipated development of a natural disaster or a pandemic that could further interrupt the production of the dye supply or some other similarly vital medical supply. Harvey says that the dye shortage has highlighted another problem in the U.S healthcare prior authorization. 

In prior authorization, the medical provider or patient must obtain approval from the insurers before moving ahead with a treatment, procedure, or medication. Since the onset of the prior authorization, radiologists have complained that the process puts a delay between the doctor’s treatment decision and the execution of that decision, costing the system more than it saves. 

Read more about the shortage hitting CT scans in this article.

2) Overviewing the Recent Advances in Breast Cancer Imaging

A study published in the European Journal of Radiology found no difference between digital mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis when it comes to cancer detection for BI-RADS 4 breast lesions. 

Researchers looked at 11,657 patients with BI-RADS 4 breast lesions. They found that 6,020 patients had two-dimensional digital mammography (DM) and 5,637 had digital breast tomography (TMD). 

While DT classified 5.66% more breast lesions as BI-RADs 4, the study found that DDM and DBT had similar cancer detection rates. In terms of biopsy results, the DM group had 4969 biopsies while the DBT group had 4,4552 biopsies.

Technological advances in breast cancer imaging are creating new opportunities for improvements in both screening and early detection. Some of these advances include the AI-powered mammography screening, electric transfer of images, and breast cancer assessment software. 

You can learn more about the recent advances in breast cancer imaging here.

Growing Your Practice

1) How to Use Data to Humanize your Social Media Account

Social media marketing, just like storytelling, requires you to humanize your message and meet your audience where they are. You need to ensure that you know your audience and why they would care about your message. To be able to humanize your message, there are several things you should do:

• Conduct an audit: The first step is usually in reading the subtle nuances of the platform you are communicating. Dive into your entire social media ecosystem and know the kind of audience you will be interacting with and the kind of content they would want to consume.
• Draft a playbook: After the audit, you will be able to see how your content performed on various platforms. Use the knowledge gained to draft guidelines for the best messaging tone to reach your target audience.
• Report, adjust and repeat: Technologies evolve and your audience's attention may shift. You want to ensure that you adjust your strategy as the dynamics shift.

Learn more about how to humanize your business social media account here.

2) How One Imaging Center Collect 3.7 Million in Unpaid Or Underpaid PIP Claims

After a series of unpaid and underpaid PIP claims, an imaging center reached out to Ged Lawyers to help them collect the outstanding Claims. Our solution was to leverage our digital platform to streamline the processing of the claim and after a while, the imaging center was able to collect their outstanding claims. 

We’ve helped the imaging center collect over $3.7 M in underpaid or unpaid PIP claims to date. Click here to see more results.

Boost Your Revenue Through Ged Lawyers Today!

Since 1995, we have been helping radiologists in Florida process PIP claims. Over the years we have built a simple, streamlined processing method that ensures that clients receive full payouts. Partner with us today to unlock more revenue for your practice.  Start Benefiting From:

ZERO Financial Investment

Pay absolutely nothing for our service. We collect our fees from the insurance companies after they pay you. 

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No more wasted hours struggling to collect unpaid or underpaid claims on your own.

Contact Ged Lawyers for a FREE initial consultation. Our support team will reach out to you to know you and the needs of your practice.