Of mice and men: escaping the relative value unit trap.

Although radiologists have kept pace with the dramatic growth of medical imaging during the past two decades through the use of PACS, digital dictation, and 3-dimensional reconstruction, radiology is approaching the point of diminishing returns. As reimbursements further decline, attempts to increase radiologists' productivity risk commoditization of the specialty. The continued evolution of US health care policy, however, presents an opportunity for radiologists, using their core competencies, to shape the future direction of medicine.

Pay for performance: pay more or pay less?

Several recent publications in the radiology literature have reported on the growing phenomenon of pay for performance. This potent new business model seeks to reward health care providers with financial incentives for improvements in the performance and delivery of medical services. This paper briefly reviews some of the obstacles to the implementation of this strategy in the practice of radiology.

The private-practice perspective of the manpower crisis in radiology: greener pastures?

Rising consumer expectations and a rapidly aging population point to a long-term shortage of all physicians, including radiologists. While attention has been drawn to the escalating manpower crisis in academic radiology departments, the private-practice perspective has been generally overlooked. Although clinical workloads and income are higher in private practice, studies have shown higher satisfaction levels (likely because of a greater variety of work) among academic radiologists.

Adult metastatic pancreaticoblastoma detected with Tc-99m MDP bone scan.

Osteotropic radiopharmaceutical uptake has been reported in a wide variety of benign and malignant soft tissue tumors. We present an unusual case of pancreaticoblastoma with mesenteric and omental metastases detected by bone scan in a 69-year-old man who presented with fever, weight loss, and renal insufficiency. Pancreaticoblastoma is a rare childhood tumor that may occur in adults, although only two cases of adults with metastatic disease have been described.

Unpaid radiology claims in New Jersey: incidence and financial implications.

Objective: Nonpayment of claims by insurers may lead to major financial losses by physicians. These losses may far exceed the losses from late payment that we studied previously, although it is late payment that has been the primary focus of legislation enacted in 47 states. This article quantifies the loss to radiologists from nonpayment of claims submitted to payers on behalf of patients with insurance.

Compliance with prompt payment legislation: the initial experiences of New Jersey radiologists.

Objective: Prompt payment has emerged as a dominant issue in managed care reform, with 47 states passing laws or regulations requiring prompt remuneration for medical services. The New Jersey Prompt-Pay Act, effective on December 28, 1999, requires payment within 30 days of electronic submission and within 40 days for nonelectronic submission. This study was undertaken to assess compliance with the New Jersey Prompt-Pay Act for radiology claims submitted 1 and 5 months after implementation (7-11 months after passage of the statute).