HCPro.com: Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report

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April 2008 (Volume 7, Issue 4)	view entire issue

Breast MRI: A growing technology one year after new recommendations
t's been one year since the American Cancer Society (ACS) recommended that certain high-risk women get a breast MRI in addition to their annual screening mammogram to help detect cancers at the earliest stage. At that point, the technology was already an effective adjunct to mammography, but the new guideline prompted a more rapid adoption of the technology. "In general, the use of [MRI] is increasing across the country," says Carol Lee, MD, attending radiologist at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center and chair of the Breast Imaging Commission of the ACR.

Get a grip on your facility's work flow
It's a common scenario: A facility with four analog mammography machines decides to go digital. The digital vendor comes in and says that two digital machines can take over the work of the four analog units. The question on the minds of most of the staff members: How on earth is the same number of technologists going to image the same number of patients on half the units?

Retention should be as much of a focus as recruitment
Looking for a mammography technologist or mammographer? So are a lot of other facilities-which is why you need to get creative when it comes to recruitment. Sign-on bonuses, employee referral programs, and even scholarship programs are some ways to get your facility noticed by job seekers. But perhaps the better strategy is not to lose people in the first place, said Fred Gaschen, executive vice president of Radiological Associates of Sacramento Medical Group, Inc., in Sacramento, CA, who spoke at the Radiology Business Management Association annual conference in May 2007.

Marketing tips to promote your digital program
When Charlotte (NC) Radiology began its digital conversion in July 2006, it launched an extensive advertising campaign focused on print media, outdoor advertising, patient and physician education, and radio advertisements to spread the word about the change. The campaign increased patient volume at the first digital site by 127% in 2006, and overall patient volume increased by 6% at all sites in the 18-month digital implementation period.

Other recently-published articles from Mammography Regulation and Reimbursement Report:

Achieve printing perfection when dealing with digital

Digital mammography and the fatty breast

Customer service more critical in new economic times

Low-income women skip annual exams due to cost

Focus on quality indicators to reduce racial disparity

Successful accreditation starts with the basics

ACR spills secrets to accreditation and missteps to avoid

Digital saves cost for those who embrace it

Molecular breast imaging has advantages over MRI

New NEJM study: CAD results not so glum now

A dozen tips for a stellar stereotactic program

Correct coding for stereotactic breast biopsies

Legal risks associated with digital mammography

Tools to help handle difficult staff members

Maximize the return on your investment

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