2006 Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference Daily Wrap-Up: May 25, 2006
The final day of the ACR’s 83rd Annual Meeting and Chapter Leadership Conference took a different track with a four-hour panel discussion that focused on critical business issues that face today’s radiology practices. The session, titled “Key ACR Strategies for Improving Your Practice’s Bottom Line – Seven Case Studies & Tactical Responses,” featured a blue-ribbon panel of experts who offered their first-hand experience in these several key practice management areas.
John A. Patti, MD, chair of the ACR’s Economics Commission, opened the session with a brief overview of the economic environment for 2006.
“Imaging definitely is in the crosshairs,” Patti cautioned the audience. “Our future is at as high a risk as it has ever been.” He cited such factors as the increased utilization rate, self-referral, the high valuation of imaging procedures, and the perceived industry profit motive as the key causes of this increased scrutiny of the imaging field.
“These issues are not going to go away without a tremendous educational effort by radiologists,” Patti charged. “Imaging is our future; not just the future of radiology, but the future of all medicine. You must take steps to protect the viability of your practice.”
Richard L. Duszak, MD, was next to the microphone addressing the importance of correct coding in radiology practices, emphasizing that radiologists and their coding staffs must document the details. One critical need for all radiology practices is a well-crafted compliance plan which serves as a continuous quality improvement tool.
“The ACR is one of the most active organizations in adding, changing, or deleting billing codes,” Duszak said. “You need to stay educated and make sure your staff is educated as well on these issues.”
The topic of “Payments for Quality” was next on the agenda as Christopher P. Ullrich, MD, pointed out that while imaging costs have risen rapidly in recent years, the capabilities of medical imaging have risen as well, as has the need to be paid appropriately for these services.
“I am not a CT scanner or an MR scanner,” Ullrich said. “I am a professional who provides an important service to a patient. As radiologists we want fair payment for our services as well as prompt and predictable payments. We want clear, medically sound payment policies and a good dialogue with third-party payers.”
Ullrich said that while radiologists can help their cause in this area through service on payer advisory committees, they can best help themselves through sound practice management, including ACR accreditation.
“These are real problems and real challenges,” he noted. “But working together we can achieve great things.”
The relationship between radiologists and hospitals was the focus of the next presentation by James V. Rawson, MD, who said this relationship boils down to what the hospital expects from radiologists and how radiologists can best present the product they produce.
“We have to convince others of our value to the health care system,” Rawson maintained. “You have to determine if your hospital recognizes the value of your image interpretation.”
The critical, but oft overlooked, area of marketing was the focus of a presentation by Frank Lexa, MD, who emphasized that marketing does not equal advertising and selling.
“Branding and marketing are not trivial issues for us,” Lexa maintained. “Fortunately, most of the people you’re competing against do really bad marketing. You can do better.”
Lexa pointed out that radiologists are often equated with images and reports. “That’s not what we really do,” he said. “We have to emphasize patient experiences and clinician experiences. If a referring physician has a bad experience with you or your practice, it doesn’t matter how much of an expert you are or how good your report is.”
The key focus, he continued, is for radiologists to know themselves and their marketplace goals. “If you don’t know what you’re promoting or what your message is, you’re going to have to rethink your marketing strategy before you start spending money.”
Bibb Allen Jr, MD, addressed the litany of economic pressures coming to bear on radiology, including the changes in the 2006 and 2007 Medicare Fee Schedule and ongoing challenges to the current professional component valuation. He reminded radiologists that they need to look out for their own economic well being because “radiology has no friends.”
He pointed out that the profession has been successful in recent years in determining correct values for radiology services, but that the challenge never ends.
“Radiology has to stay busy,” Allen urged the attendees. “We never know what we’re going to be up against.”
Shannon J. Doyle, president-elect of the Radiology Business Management Association, was the session’s final speaker, addressing the critical topic of using sound principles of capital investment.
“It’s not just radiology that is driving up health care costs,” Doyle told the audience. “As an industry we’re all going to have to tighten our belts.”
He said that while practices need to be aware of the economic and regulatory volatility of the health care marketplace, they must continue to invest for security and for the long term. Radiologists must continue to “invest for the best medicine,” which includes staying up-to-date on the latest imaging technology, adding that if radiologists don’t have something extra to offer, they will lose referrals.
“The present is not a good indicator of the future,” Doyle noted. “You still have to look at the long term and make some educated guesses. We are in for some deep budget cuts, but you’d be unwise not to pursue capital investments, just do it wisely.”
Be sure to visit the ACR Web site in the coming days to view the Powerpoint presentations for each of the special economic session’s speakers.
