Sunday, August 10
8:30 am - 5:30 pm
Room: Chesapeake A-C
The 2014 AHRA Annual Meeting Physician Track will focus on highly effective “teams” inclusive
of healthcare administrators and radiologists in co-leadership roles. Additionally the sessions
will highlight an opportunity for new physician leaders (new Chairs, Division Chiefs, Medical
Directors) to gain skills they will need in their new roles and as well as industry trends and
changes in the imaging space.
Designated sessions of this program will be eligible for RLI credits based on competencies outlined in the Radiology Leadership Institute Common Body of Knowledge™ (CBK).
Additional fees apply. The registration fee includes a continental breakfast, lunch, a full day program, and admittance to the President’s Reception.
Agenda:
08:15 – 08:30 AM
Introduction and Welcome
Howard Fleishon, M.D. and Chris Tomlinson, MBA, CRA
8:30 – 9:30 AM
Re-imagining Radiology in a Value Based Healthcare Paradigm
Rasu Shrestha, MD, MBA, Vice President
Medical Information Technology
The massive transformation we have seen in the last decade or more in healthcare from analogue to
digital, was in large parts led by imaging. Radiology was early to embrace the move to digital, and in the
last 10-15 years, we have seen a massive proliferation of DATA SILOS galore. In many ways however,
this move from film to filmless was by design tailored to replicate the analogue workflow to the tee. We
gained tremendous productivity, and the volume metrics around (1) the number of studies we could read
per day and (2) the report turnaround time for each study improved dramatically. However, even in 2014,
we are still treating a series of images at a time, and not really looking at the patient as a whole. Therein
lies an opportunity for us to truly think outside the box and create a ground up rewrite of not an application
centric or a film centric, but a patient centric imaging platform. There is no doubt that change is coming to
the world of imaging; both in the very way we practice the profession, as well as in the way imaging
contributes value back to healthcare. The spiraling cost of healthcare in the United States is non-
sustainable, and it has perhaps been rightly stated that “advanced imaging is the bellwether for the
excesses of fee-for-service medical care”. The key is to embrace innovation and continue to push the
needle forward. The previous ‘age of growth’ in imaging has given way to an ‘age of accountable care’,
with increased scrutiny, greater price sensitivity and focus on full cost of care that rewards imaging
appropriateness. This is a do-or-die opportunity for us to really leverage analytics, interoperability and
value-based frameworks to define, refine and fine tune the delivery of radiology services and their
associated value.
You will learn to:
- Understand the challenges at hand with current generation imaging solutions.
- Appreciate the driving force of consolidation in healthcare.
- Comprehend the specifics of challenges within imaging workflow.
- Appreciate innovation as a driver for change.
- Understand value based imaging and the potential to transform imaging.
Domain(s): OM, CI
Credits: 1
9:30 – 10:30 AM
Utilization Management & Value Based Radiology
Robert Cooke and Mick Brown
National Decision Support Company (ACRSelect), Andover, MA
The Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 will dramatically change how imaging services are ordered and reimbursed. In anticipation of these changes, this session will examine how appropriate use criteria can be employed to manage imaging utilization and improve the value profile of Imaging. The American College of Radiology's Appropriateness Criteria have been converted into a digitally consumable form and have been integrated into Electronic Health Records to inform and educate the ordering physician about imaging appropriateness. The presentation will describe the utilization and financial impact of employing Decision support at the point of order and impact on imaging.
You will learn to:
- Examine Emerging Imaging Reimbursment Model.
- Understand how Imaging Decision Support can be employed to help Healthcare providers and Imaging Professionals balance quality and utilization management.
- Describe current legislative environment and Imaging Decision Support.
Domain(s): OM, FM, CI
Credits: 1
10:45 – 12:00 PM
Radiology Quality and Safety Team Approach
Kimberly E. Applegate, MD, MS, FACR, and Jessica Clements, MS, DABR, Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital, Dallas, TX
Team Teaching With the demanding healthcare environment and sharp focus on quality, it has never been more important to understand how to achieve better quality care for radiology departments. However, we must measure quality for many customers that include our patients, our referring providers, and many others. How do we show that we are providing, monitoring, and improving quality service in radiology? This lecture will describe the rationale and methods for using these collective learning tools for enhancing radiology quality. We will team teach a professionalism assessment using a radiology case scenario.
You will learn to:
- Identify distinguish quality control, quality assurance, and quality improvement terms.
- Discuss the rationale and collective learning opportunities behind peer review (e.g., RADPEER), data registries (e.g., CT Dose Index Registry and GRID), and practice quality improvement projects.
- Recognize professional assessment, feedback, and improvement from a team teaching format using real life radiology scenario.
Domain(s): AM, CI
Credits: 1
12:00 – 1:30 PM
Lunch & Panel Discussion – All Speakers
1:30 – 2:30 PM
Evolving Healthcare Payment Systems: Where Will Radiology Fit In?
Richard Duszak, MD, FACR, FRBMA
Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA
Fee-for-service payment models have served radiology well for many years, but policy makers are working hard to curtail this system which incentivizes volume, and implement a variety of systems which promote value. Some thought leaders have gone so far as to propose complete abolishment of current fee-for-service payment systems by 2017. This session will review the the development and application of fee-for-service payment systems, particularly as they relate to radiology. Evolving pay-for-performance payment systems will then be discussed. Emerging bundled payment systems will be a focus of this presentation, and the inpatient episode of care will be detailed as an example of how such systems may impact radiologists in the near future. Finally, concepts related to payment systems under various population health models will be discussed, focusing on capitation, accountability, and geographic variation. Intended to be as informative as provocative, the session is designed to introduce radiologists and administrators to new concepts which will likely dramatically impact their practices in the next few years. Many research products of the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute will be highlighted.
You will learn to:
- Integrate ongoing changes in healthcare delivery and payment systems.
- Implement new value based payment models while simultaneously navigating existing fee for service systems.
- Improve the delivery of radiology services and my own professional success by proactively embracing value-focused initiatives.
2:45 – 3:45 PM
Successful Co-Management of Radiology Departments
David Myrice, CPA, MBA
Zotec Partners, Frisco, TX
There are several radiology practice models that can be built on clinical integration, and as groups consider complete independence versus hospital employment in this complex era of health care reform, there is an “in-between” arrangement up for grabs. Co-management is a contract with mutually agreed upon provisions. The co-management contract is the best option for the practice that does not desire a “divorce” from the hospital. In this agreement, both the hospital and the practice agree on how they will work together, and each can agree to provisions that are mutually beneficial. This session will discuss how groups can strategically enter into a co-management agreement, and strategies for physicians as they work to achieve independence while maximizing value with their hospital partners.
You will learn to:
- Develop a sound co-management agreement strategy that manages and improves quality, measures outcomes and increases efficiency of both parties involved.
- Map out ideal health care service measurements for hospital alignment.
- Analyze shared governance structures that encourage practice independence.
- Yield performance metrics and quality measures from enhanced data transparency tactics.
Domain(s): FM, OM
Credits: 1
Wilson Wong, MD
President of Arcadia Radiology Medical Group, CMO of Healthfortis, Inc.
While clinical decision support technology is gaining in popularity, adoption of these systems has
been challenging at best. Various concerns have been identified including the value of the solutions,
completeness of the knowledge bases, or clinical content, efficiency of the user interface and
configurability of systems. This presentation will discuss various aspects of the CDS interface solutions
with a focus on opportunities to improve the interfaces, knowledge bases and reporting capabilities.
Expansion of the knowledge bases to improve value and usability to increase market opportunity to the
ACO and payer will also be addressed.
You will learn to:
- Optimize the interface, knowledge base and reporting functions.
- Expand the value proposition with the addition of other clinical content.
- Understand ACO and payer collaboration opportunities.
Domain(s): CI, FM
Credits: 1
5:00 – 5:30 PM
Panel Discussion – All Speakers
*subject to change