MEDNAX Radiology Solutions tests AI model in largest independent radiology validation exercise to date

In the face of increasingly sophisticated and more frequent cyberattacks that threaten the sensitive data of all healthcare providers, vRad is continuously advancing our systems to predict, prevent, and respond to these threats. The latest milestone in our commitment to safeguard patient information and other sensitive data is our achievement of SOC 2 Type II compliance.

Radiologists reading on home workstations have become a permanent feature of the post-COVID modern medical landscape. Whether every day or just one or two days a week, the flexibility of working at home is irresistible to many top physicians – and leading radiology groups and imaging facilities should be thinking about the best ways to accommodate and support them.  

I can say from experience, having managed the reading environment for vRad’s 500 radiologists over the past 12 years, that supporting work-from-home options can be time consuming for both the radiologists and the IT team. One area where this comes into play is the workstation displays used by the radiologist to view images. It is up to the facility to ensure that radiologists are reading from displays that are appropriately calibrated, lit, cleaned, and maintained. Without the right tools, managing this can be labor intensive, chewing into the radiologists’ productivity, as well as that of the IT support team. 

We’re in the middle of rolling out Barco internet-enabled diagnostic displays to all 500 of our radiologists. If you’re a practice employing remote readers or a radiologist considering remote work, I’ll share with you the significant challenges we’re solving with these new monitors.  

One of the cornerstones of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 was the development of an appropriate use criteria (AUC) program that requires doctors to consult a qualified clinical decision support mechanism (qCDSM) when ordering advanced imaging services for Medicare patients. As many in the revenue cycle management (RCM) world already know, CMS was scheduled to start penalizing providers who don’t participate in the AUC program on Jan. 1, 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, led to such actions being delayed until 2023 at the earliest.

The latest CMS data suggest that preparation for AUC has been slow going for many healthcare providers. Consider, for example, that just 9% of CY2020 claims subject to AUC policies were submitted with enough relevant data. The delay in AUC penalties represents a significant opportunity for providers to integrate, educate and test AUC workflows to ensure as little disruption as possible takes place when the payment penalty phase officially (eventually) goes into effect.