Bruce J. Hillman, MD, FACR, passed away in December 2023 at age 75. Hillman was born and raised in Miami Beach and graduated from Princeton University in 1965 and the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1973. He received his radiology training at Harvard Medical School’s Peter Bent Brigham Hospital.
Hillman spent his 45-year career in academic medicine serving patients, institutions and colleagues to the best of his abilities. He was a former ACR and RSNA Gold Medal recipient, the founding editor-in-chief of the JACR from 2003 to 2018, and the chief medical officer of the ACR Image Metrix.
Hillman was beloved by his colleagues and will be dearly missed. Look for more on his life and legacy in the April online issue of the ACR Bulletin.
The radiologist work shortage was a big topic at December’s RSNA 2023 conference in Chicago. With medical facilities struggling to fill these positions, Howard B. Fleishon, MD, former ACR president, discusses a potential solution in an opinion piece published in the JACR. Titled “Radiology Workforce Shortage: The ‘Silver Squad’ Option,” the article urges older radiologists to come out of retirement and return to the workforce.
Fleishon points out that radiology doesn’t have a mandatory retirement age and asserts that many older radiologists can still add value to a care team. He encourages ACR members and others in the specialty to promote the solution by citing examples of successful integration of retired radiologists into practices. He also says organizations should provide resources in career centers to help these doctors find their role, even if it is part-time.
Read the article in JACR.
The AMA/Relative Value Scale Update committee (AMA/RUC) is a multispecialty committee focused on making relative value recommendations to CMS for new and revised codes. RUC Advisors representing their specialties bring forth time and value recommendations to a panel of roughly 30 medical professionals.
On March 1, 2024, the following changes to the representation of radiology at the RUC will take place:
Looking into CCTA and Revenue Code Selection
The chair of the Commission of Economics discusses cardiac computed tomography angiography revenue code, with Juan Carlos Batlle, MD, MBA, FACR, FSCCT.
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ALZ-NET: The Next Chapter of Real-World Evidence for Alzheimerās Disease
This edition of RADLAW examines the regulatory and legal considerations of the Alzheimerās Network for Treatment and Diagnostics.
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JACR Special Issue Shines a Light on Lung Cancer Screening
Ashley E. Prosper, MD, discusses how radiologists are positioned to make sure the benefits of lung cancer screening are realized broadly and with dignity.
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