From the November 2021 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

RCR says radiologist staffing is at a “tipping point,” with the shortage threatening NHS recovery and patients facing “long, anxious and inevitable” waits for diagnoses and surgery.

More radiologists joining ACOs, taking up value-based care in practices
A May study by the Harvey L. Neiman Policy Institute found a higher number of radiologists embracing value-based care by joining Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs). Participation from the specialty had tripled from 10.4% to 34.9% over five years.
"From an economic standpoint, value-based payment models offer the opportunity for radiologist to receive financial bonuses for high quality care,” first author Stefan Santavicca, of the Georgia Tech Health Economics and Analytics Lab (HEAL), told HCB News. “Also, radiologists are interested in avoiding future penalties and preparing for the future of value-based payments and shifting away from fee for service with renewed attention to advancing alternative payment models through MACRA and MIPS.”

Established by the Affordable Care Act, the shared savings programs shift the basis for awarding economic incentives to providers from how many procedures they perform (volume) to how well they perform them (value) through the creation of quality and cost targets. They also impose financial penalties on those who do not meet these targets.

The researchers linked several separate 100% CMS data sets and found participating radiologists in 2018 in 90% of large ACOs. While this was only up from 88% in 2013, they also found participation increased twofold in small ACOs, from 26% to 52%. Participation in medium-sized ACOs rose from 63% to 66%, but the growth in participating radiologists in small ACOs is significant according to the researchers, because it signifies shared savings programs are impacting radiologists even outside of urban, large specialty ACOs that have greater capacity for coordinating care.

Several international radiology associations, including RSNA, ACR and ESR, have published a paper calling radiology a “key component” in value-based care and laid out nine steps for integration.

Samsung integrates VUNO AI with mobile digital X-ray system for chest diagnosis
As of July, Samsung Electronics’ mobile digital X-ray system, GM85 is equipped with AI developed by South Korean manufacturer, VUNO Inc.

A diagnostic chest X-ray solution, VUNO Med-Chest X-ray is expected to help GM85 users instantly retrieve and deliver AI results upon scanning an image while the patient is still in the hospital.

November 2021 Magazine

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