Stage 2 meaningful use guidelines for electronic medical records (EMRs) suggest use of clinical decision support (CDS) software to help clinicians choose appropriate labs, diagnoses, therapies and imaging exams. A draft policy to replace the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula now being considered by a joint U.S. Senate Finance and House Committee on Ways and Means Committee might make this suggestion a requirement in the future. The draft policy would deny Medicare payment for exams if the ordering physician did not consult appropriate use criteria (AUC) and require prior authorization for outlier providers.

The push for healthcare to be digitally transformed and paper-free means having access to electronic medical records anytime/anywhere. This effort amplified, has left many cardiology departments struggling to catch up. According to the Administration on Aging people 65+ represented 12.4 percent of the population in the year 2000, but are expected to grow to be 19 percent of the population by 2030. The increase in longevity-on top of advances in medications, less invasive treatments and diagnostic testing will greatly increase demand for cardiology.

Looking for signs of cancer in the mammogram of a dense breast is like looking for a polar bear in a snowstorm. Because they absorb X-rays, glandular and fibrous tissue appear white, as do microcalcifications, lumps and other lesions that may indicate breast cancer.

Several industries have used cloud solutions for many years, but cloud computing only recently started to be used in healthcare. According to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), cloud computing is defined as “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks, servers, storage, applications and services) that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction.”1 As more and more healthcare organizations (HCOs) adopt electronic medical records (EMRs), the cloud database has offered an efficient solution for image sharing, particularly in radiology where it is bridging the gap between referring physicians and radiologists.

The Elsie and Robert Pierson Radiation Oncology Center is a part of City of Hope National Medical Center — a dedicated, National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated comprehensive cancer center located in Duarte, Calif.

What was once diagnostic imaging is on track to becoming much more. Radiology is on the verge of a new era in which its focus goes beyond the traditional gatekeeper role, directing the earliest steps in patient management to one that adjusts the direction of care throughout the management of a patient.