October 2013

Challenges and Opportunities — A Sneak Peek at RSNA 2013 With Views From President Sarah S. Donaldson, MD
Radiology Today
Vol. 14 No. 10 P. 24

Challenges and opportunities often can be seen as two sides of the same coin. In her address at RSNA 2013, President Sarah S. Donaldson, MD, will partly focus on seeing the coin’s opportunity side and how radiology can invest it to improve both patient care and the imaging profession.

Radiology Today asked Donaldson for her list of challenges and opportunities facing radiology going into this year’s annual meeting and beyond as well as why she believes they are important. Not wanting to scoop herself on the story, however, she offered only a sneak preview of some of what she’ll address on Sunday, December 1, in Chicago.

We’ve taken her four selections, reviewed the annual meeting program, and compiled a list of program sessions related to those four challenges/opportunities.

— Jim Knaub, editor

Finance and Support Research in Radiologic Sciences
Why it’s important: Changes in health care, including cutbacks in federal support for research, have reduced some traditional funding sources. The profession as well as patient care will advance more slowly without the basic clinical research that drives knowledge and care forward.

Related Presentations and Courses

1. NIH Grantsmanship Workshop (SPGW01), Saturday, November 30, 1-5 PM — Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD

• Welcome and introductory remarks — Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD

• Preparing an R01 Research Application — Pratik Mukherjee, MD, PhD

• Preparing K Awards — Ruth C. Carlos, MD, MS

• Clinical Trials in Applications — Michael W. Vannier, MD

• Program Perspectives — Belinda Seto, PhD

• The Process of Review — Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD

• Mock Study Section — Gayle E. Woloschak, PhD

2. Using RSNA Clinical Trial Processing Software for Clinical Trials and Research Applications (ICIW24), Monday, December 2, 4:30-6 PM — John Perry, Justin Kirby

3. ISP: Health Service, Policy and Research (Quality and Reporting) (SSK10), Wednesday, December 4, 10:30 AM - 12 PM — Edward Y. Lee, MD, MPH; Jeffrey G. Jarvik, MD, MPH

4. Quantitative Medical Imaging for Clinical Research and Practice: Hands-On Workshop (ICIA11), Sunday, December 1, 11 AM - 12:30 PM — Sonia M. Pujol, PhD; Katarzyna J. Macura, MD, PhD; Ron Kikinis, MD

5. Molecular Imaging Symposium: Molecular Brain Imaging — From Research to Clinical Applications (MSMI24), Monday, December 2, 3:30-5 PM — Satoshi Minoshima, MD, PhD

6. Advanced Data Analysis With Excel for Research and for Practicing Quality Improvement: Hands-On Workshop (RC654), Thursday, December 5, 8:30-10 AM — Andrea J. Frangos, MPH; Jaydev K. Dave, PhD, MS

7. Basic Tools and Tricks for Data Collection and Organization for Practice Quality Improvement Projects and for Research Data Management — A Step-by-Step Approach With Excel: Hands-On Workshop (RC854), Friday, December 6, 8:30-10 AM — Andrea J. Frangos, MPH; Jaydev K. Dave, PhD, MS

 

Improve the Education of Tomorrow’s Radiologists
Why it’s important: The technology explosion in imaging equipment and the increasing complexity of subspecialization in radiology is changing the tools radiologists use and the skills they’ll need in the future. That presents new challenges and opportunities for training future radiologists.

Related Presentations and Courses

1. AAPM/RSNA Physics Tutorial for Residents: Control of Dose in Computed Tomography (SPPH01), Saturday, November 30, 12-2 PM — Richard J. Massoth, PhD

• Factors That Affect CT Dose and Dosimetry Methods — Jerry A. Thomas, MS

• Image Reconstruction Techniques Which Contribute to Patient Dose Reduction — Richard J. Massoth, PhD

• Low Dose Protocols: Source and Review Methodology — Jerry A. Thomas, MS

2. Patient Radiation Dose: Reduction and Recording (An Interactive Session) (MSRA12), Sunday, December 1, 11:45 AM - 12:45 PM — Douglas E. Pfeiffer, MS

3. Creating, Storing, and Sharing Teaching Files Using RSNA’s MIRC: A Hands-On Course (ICIW21), Monday, December 2, 10:30 AM - 12 PM — Krishna Juluru, MD; Frederick E. Weiss, MD; Tessa S. Cook, MD, PhD

4. Resident Interviewing: Skills That Work! (RC402), Tuesday, December 3, 4:30-6 PM

• Program Director, Chair, and Dean as Interviewers — Jonathan S. Lewin, MD

• Resident, Fellow, and Radiologist as Interviewees — Fred T. Lee, MD

• Interview Role-Playing — Fred T. Lee, MD; Jannette Collins, MD, MEd; Jonathan S. Lewin, MD

5. Creating Radiology eBooks for the iPad: A Hands-On Introduction to iBooks Author (ICIW41), Wednesday, December 4, 10:30 AM - 12 PM — Henry J. Baskin, MD; Justin LaPlante, MD; Justin Cramer, MD

6. Mind Your Own Business! Required Business Skills for Your First Job (RC702), Thursday, December 5, 4:30-6 PM — Jonathan R. Medverd, MD; William P. Shuman, MD; Lukasz Babiarz, MD, MBA

7. Leveraging Imaging Informatics to Improve Radiology Education: Beyond the Teaching File (An Interactive Session) (RC730), Thursday, December 5, 4:30-6 PM — Marc D. Kohli, MD

• Simulation Systems in Radiology Education — Kitt Shaffer, MD, PhD

• Educational Tools for the Next Generation in Radiology — Richard E. Sharpe, MD, MBA

• Quality Improvement Tools in Education — Jason N. Itri, MD, PhD

• Taking Audience Response to the Next Level — Lonie R. Salkowski, MD

 

Promote and Advance Precision Radiology Without Increasing Costs
Why it’s important: Imaging technology helps physicians save lives, but growing health care costs threaten the US health care system. Balancing costs and providing appropriate imaging care is both a challenge to a field that has thrived on volume growth during the past 20 years and an opportunity to perhaps stave off some of the commoditization occurring in radiology.

Related Presentations and Courses

1. AAPM/RSNA Tutorial on Equipment Selection: Imaging Systems Designed to Reduce CT Dose and Maintain Image Quality (SPPH02), Saturday, November 30, 2:15-4:15 PM — Jerry A. Thomas, MS

• Image Equipment Overview: CT Dose Reduction Techniques — Jerry A. Thomas, MS

• Impact of Dose Reduction on Image Quality and Medical Diagnosis — Richard J. Massoth, PhD

• Building a Business Case for Dose Reduction Technologies in CT — Jerry A. Thomas, MS

2. Quantitative Medical Imaging for Clinical Research and Practice: Hands-On Workshop (ICIA11), Sunday, December 1, 11 AM - 12:30 PM — Sonia M. Pujol, PhD; Katarzyna J. Macura, MD, PhD; Ron Kikinis, MD

3. Process Engineering to Optimize Work Flow Processes in Radiology: A Case Study Approach (An Interactive Session) (MSAS33), Tuesday, December 3, 1:30-3 PM — William A. Undie, PhD, RT

• Improving Patient Experience Through Technology — Carolyn C. Meltzer, MD; Habib Tannir, MS

• Designing a New Imaging Center: The Production Preparation Process (3P) — An Innovative Lean Approach — Kristina R. Givens, BS

4. Dell, Inc: Cloud as a Platform for Collaboration in the Era of Accountable Imaging (EPT07), Tuesday, December 3, 3:45-4:30 PM — Ken Valdbillig, Jim Phillips

5. Next Generation IT Requirements for Improving Quality and Safety for Radiology (ICII41), Wednesday, December 4, 10:30 AM - 12 PM

• Using IT to Improve Appropriateness and Access — Keith D. Hentel, MD, MS

• Using IT to Improve the ‘Value’ of Radiology Reports — Ramin Khorasani, MD

• Using IT to Improve Results Communication, Including Critical Results — Luciano M. Prevedello, MD

6. Health Policy Initiatives in Medical Imaging: Promoting Value and Relevancy in Evolving Healthcare Delivery and Payment Systems (RC627), Thursday, December 5, 8:30-10 AM — Richard Duszak, MD; Bibb Allen, MD; Danny Hughes, PhD

7. The Use of Business Analytics for Improving Radiology Operations, Quality, and Clinical Performance (In Association With the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine) (RC826), Friday, December 6, 8:30-10 AM — Katherine P. Andriole, PhD

• An Introduction to Business Analytics Demonstrating Use of an Open-Source Tool for Application to Radiology — Katherine P. Andriole, PhD

• Business Analytic Tools for Quality Assurance, MOC and PQI — Paul G. Nagy, PhD

• Capabilities of Current and Future Business Analytics Technologies — Tessa S. Cook, MD, PhD

 

Bring Radiologists Back Into the Center of Patient Care
Why it’s important: The culture of medicine and radiology is starting to emphasize value rather than volume, outcomes not just output. Medical care today also is more patient driven. Partnering with patients can improve care, help radiologists be a greater part of the care team, and combat the perception of radiologists as simply service providers who read images.

Related Presentations and Courses

1. Patient Assessment: Requirements, Reimbursement and Radiology Procedures (an Interactive Session) (MSRA11), Sunday, December 1, 10:30-11:30 AM — Joy J. Renner MS, RT

2. Cardiovascular Risk Assessment: The Role for the Radiologist (RC103), Sunday, December 1, 2-3:30 PM

• The Role of Carotid US — Joseph F. Polak, MD, MPH

• The Role of Cardiac CT — J. Jeffrey Carr, MD, MS

• The Role of Cardiac MRI — David A. Bluemke, MD, PhD

3. What Is Driving Health Care Reform and How It Is Changing Your Radiology Practice (RC132), Sunday, December 1, 2-3:30 PM

• A Brief History of Health Care Reform — Bernard F. King, MD

• Impact of Health Care Reform on Radiology: Intended and Unintended — Lawrence R. Muroff, MD

4. Changing Role of Radiology in the U.S. Health Care System (RC227), Monday, December 2, 8:30-10 AM — James V. Rawson, MD; Marta E. Heilbrun, MD; Alexander M. Norbash, MD

5. Quality Improvement: Keeping Our Customers Satisfied (MSQI32), Tuesday, December 3, 10:30 AM - 12 PM — Jonathan B. Kruskal, MD, PhD; James V. Rawson, MD

• Creating a Comprehensive Customer Service Program in Radiology — Alex Towbin, MD

• Achieving Almost Perfect Service Excellence: The Specifics — Ella A. Kazerooni, MD

• Branding and Marketing Your Image Services — Giles W. Boland, MD

6. ASRT@RSNA 2013: The Patient Experience — Our Shared Journey (MSRT44), Wednesday, December 4, 5-6 PM — Kevin Rush

7. ASRT@RSNA 2013: How Do We Make Care Patient-Centered? (MSRT55), Thursday, December 5, 2:20-3:20 PM — Brenda A. Battle, RN, MBA

 

Other Challenges
In addition to the challenges/opportunities mentioned by RSNA President Sarah S. Donaldson, MD, and the related sessions we’ve identified for this preview article, there are two presentations also aimed at laying out the challenges facing radiology:

1. Critical Issues Facing the Profession of Radiology: An ACR Leadership Perspective (In Conjunction With the American College of Radiology) (RC527), Wednesday, December 4, 8:30-10 AM — Paul H. Ellenbogen, MD; Bibb Allen, MD; Geraldine B. McGinty, MD; Howard B. Fleishon, MD

2. The Future of Radiology: What Are the Threats and How to Respond to Them (RC127), Sunday, December 1, 2-3:30 PM — Vijay M. Rao, MD; David C. Levin, MD; Jonathan W. Berlin, MD