Radiology Programs Leave Locums Behind, Embrace a Better Staffing Solution
Originally published by Michael Walter on Radiology Business Imaging providers are continuously filling holes in their radiologist coverage schedule....
Remote radiologist jobs with flexible schedules, equitable pay, and the most advanced reading platform. Discover teleradiology at vRad.
Radiologist well-being matters. Explore how vRad takes action to prevent burnout with expert-led, confidential support through our partnership with VITAL WorkLife. Helping radiologists thrive.
Visit the vRad Blog for radiologist experiences at vRad, career resources, and more.
vRad provides radiology residents and fellows free radiology education resources for ABR boards, noon lectures, and CME.
Teleradiology services leader since 2001. See how vRad AI is helping deliver faster, higher-quality care for 50,000+ critical patients each year.
Subspecialist care for the women in your community. 48-hour screenings. 1-hour diagnostics. Comprehensive compliance and inspection support.
vRad’s stroke protocol auto-assigns stroke cases to the top of all available radiologists’ worklists, with requirements to be read next.
vRad’s unique teleradiology workflow for trauma studies delivers consistently fast turnaround times—even during periods of high volume.
vRad’s Operations Center is the central hub that ensures imaging studies and communications are handled efficiently and swiftly.
vRad is delivering faster radiology turnaround times for 40,000+ critical patients annually, using four unique strategies, including AI.
vRad is developing and using AI to improve radiology quality assurance and reduce medical malpractice risk.
Now you can power your practice with the same fully integrated technology and support ecosystem we use. The vRad Platform.
Since developing and launching our first model in 2015, vRad has been at the forefront of AI in radiology.
Since 2010, vRad Radiology Education has provided high-quality radiology CME. Open to all radiologists, these 15-minute online modules are a convenient way to stay up to date on practical radiology topics.
Join vRad’s annual spring CME conference featuring top speakers and practical radiology topics.
vRad provides radiology residents and fellows free radiology education resources for ABR boards, noon lectures, and CME.
Academically oriented radiologists love practicing at vRad too. Check out the research published by vRad radiologists and team members.
Learn how vRad revolutionized radiology and has been at the forefront of innovation since 2001.
Visit the vRad blog for radiologist experiences at vRad, career resources, and more.
Explore our practice’s reading platform, breast imaging program, AI, and more. Plus, hear from vRad radiologists about what it’s like to practice at vRad.
Ready to be part of something meaningful? Explore team member careers at vRad.
2 min read
Sharon Roeder, BA, CPC
:
May 18, 2018
Effective collaboration with your referring physicians can make the difference between getting paid or not getting paid. Cooperation between referring and ordering professionals becomes increasingly important with the approaching implementation date for the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, on January 1, 2020.
Radiology groups that proactively align with hospitals and referring clinicians to jointly implement and develop clinical decision support mechanisms (CDSMs) will likely see greater success in the long run.
The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 (PAMA) amended the Social Security Act to direct Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to establish appropriate use criteria (AUC) for advanced diagnostic imaging services. Complete information—in excruciating detail—is available from the CMS AUC Program website.
I suggest starting with a more palatable overview of the program, presented in a recently recorded webinar Avoid Payment Denial: Key Steps to Prepare for AUC. In it, I highlight some of the key CMS terminology, requirements and deadlines that are impacting radiology practices today and will for the foreseeable future.
To navigate the complex AUC program effectively requires the use of technology in the form of CDSMs, digital tools that guide referring physicians to the appropriate imaging for each patient.
CDSMs are somewhat useful as standalone applications for direct entry of patient information, but may provide significant insight when integrated with more comprehensive data from electronic health records (EHR) and other sources. CDSMs can provide more clearly-defined context – e.g. specific patient characteristics, laboratory results, lists of co-morbid diseases – for each interpretation. From a practical standpoint, integrating EHR and other patient data will lessen the time clinicians spend using the tool.
Keep in mind, PAMA does not allow furnishing professionals (radiologists) to consult in lieu of or in the absence of consultation by ordering professionals. Radiology groups may want to consider integrating a CDSM portal into their online ordering systems to allow ordering physicians to submit imaging orders and consult a CDSM seamlessly.
First, use a qualified CDSM (sometimes abbreviated qCDSM)—one that has been certified as meeting CMS requirements under the Social Security Act. A list of qCDSMs is available on the CMS website. From this list, evaluate alternative systems based on their fit with your current practice and processes. Here is a checklist of areas and features to consider when assessing alignment.
It is unlikely you will find a CDSM to align precisely with your current processes, not to mention those of your referring hospital systems and clinicians. However, the goal in selecting a CDSM is to help ensure compliance, so you get paid in a timely fashion, while minimizing disruption to your current operations and limiting the cost of compliance.
The good news: Ultimately, the right CDSM may enhance the performance of your radiology practice through process efficiencies and advanced analytic tools.
Back to Blog
Originally published by Michael Walter on Radiology Business Imaging providers are continuously filling holes in their radiologist coverage schedule....
One of the cornerstones of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 was the development of an appropriate use criteria (AUC) program that...
Every four minutes someone dies of stroke; itranks in the top five leading causes of death and disability in the United States. Rapid response can...
vRad (Virtual Radiologic) is a national radiology practice combining clinical excellence with cutting-edge technology development. Each year, we bring exceptional radiology care to millions of patients and empower healthcare providers with technology-driven solutions.
Non-Clinical Inquiries (Total Free):
800.737.0610
Outside U.S.:
011.1.952.595.1111
3600 Minnesota Drive, Suite 800
Edina, MN 55435