Economics

This channel highlights factors that impact hospital and healthcare economics and revenue. This includes news on healthcare policies, reimbursement, marketing, business plans, mergers and acquisitions, supply chain, salaries, staffing, and the implementation of a cost-effective environment for patients and providers.

Cigna, one of the nation’s largest health insurance providers, announced new priorities for its capital deployment, including steering an additional $450 million into Cigna Ventures.

Cigna is removing 25% of medical services from prior authorization, but none of them are in imaging

The health insurer has faced criticism over its use of PA, including a class action lawsuit alleging it denied claims for imaging and other healthcare services in bulk

August 25, 2023

Solis Mammography acquiring network of breast imaging centers

Supported by Chicago-based Madison Dearborn Capital Partners, the company has grown rapidly in recent years to now include 100-plus locations.

August 25, 2023

Private equity-backed LucidHealth touts new 2-year partnership track for its growing teleradiology group

Since 2020, the “virtual practice” has grown to include more than 75 physicians operating across 47 states, with leaders seeking to hire more.

August 25, 2023
Mark Michalski Ascertain

Radiologist appointed CEO of ‘healthcare AI company creation platform’ Ascertain

The company has raised $100 million in seed funding and earlier this year started Optain, which aims to identify diseases via retinal imaging. 

August 24, 2023
scale money prices shopping transparency reimbursement dollar coins

Same hospital, same insurer, but imaging prices twice as high for commercial vs. Medicare Advantage plans

When stated in dollar terms, the median price for imaging services was $490 across commercial plans compared to $191 in MA, experts wrote in Health Affairs

August 23, 2023

Appeals court revives whistleblower suits alleging unqualified broker made radiology referral decisions

Allstate Insurance Co. first filed the complaints in 2020 against Discovery Radiology Physicians, OneSource Medical Diagnostics and four physicians, alleging insurance fraud. 

August 22, 2023
financial graph downturn drop dip

Medicare pay for most interventional radiology procedures has declined in recent years

Researchers believe this information underlines the “critical need” for advocacy at a national level among IR professionals. 

August 22, 2023
money business cash flow dollar. Kingsway Financial Services, a Chicago-based holding company with subsidiaries in several industries, has acquired New Jersey-based Digital Diagnostics Imaging (DDI) for $11 million. The transaction was funded with $5.4 million in cash and $5.6 million in debt financing.

S&P downgrades radiology provider Akumin as it faces ‘significant headwinds’

Setbacks have included labor and supply chain challenges, delays in recognizing synergies from its merger with Alliance Healthcare Services and soft patient volumes. 

August 22, 2023

Around the web

The newly approved AI models are designed to improve the detection of pulmonary embolisms and strokes in patients who undergo CT scans.

Using CT to perform coronary artery calcium scoring on symptomatic chest pain patients can deliver significant value, according to a new data published in Radiology

Peninsula Imaging told Mary Raver in 2014 that a cancerous growth was benign. She now has 18 months to live.

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