Promoting Value Through Business Practice Leadership In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity —Albert Einstein

The field of diagnostic radiology currently resides at a major crossroads. The “golden age of radiology” has ended, and we now have a very visible and large target on our backs.1 Reimbursement cuts have put increasing pressure on radiologists to change the way they practice. Turf wars continue to limit the amount of imaging being performed by radiologists. Employment models limit radiologist autonomy and threaten long-term job security. Moreover, cuts to radiology research limit the development of new technologies that contributed to the golden age of radiology and many of the successes achieved. The American College of Radiology has acknowledged the need for change by initiating the Imaging 3.0 campaign to promote the transition from volume- to value-based care.2 The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education has recognized the vital role of education in this transition by requiring that radiology residents achieve specific health care economics milestones during training. Residents now receive education about mechanisms for reimbursement, the relative costs of procedures, technical and professional components of imaging costs, measurements of productivity, and the radiology revenue cycle.3 Although there is a strong desire throughout the profession to promote education, awareness, and active involvement in the business of radiology, resources to provide this education and opportunities to disseminate research have not grown on par. As a result of this perceived void, Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology is committed to developing a new section providing insightful and thought-provoking discussion about the business and practice of radiology. This new Business Practice and Quality section will be led by 2 associate editors, Jonathan Flug, MD, MBA, and Jason N. Itri, MD, PhD. Dr Flug is a musculoskeletal radiologist at the University of Colorado, Anschutz Medical Campus. He has been involved in the business of medicine since his undergraduate studies and completed a dual degree MD and MBA with a focus on health care management during medical school. One of his primary interests is in leadership and health care

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economics, chairing the American College of Radiology Resident and Fellow Section and participating on several committees with various radiology organizations. Dr Itri is the Vice Chair of Operations for the department of radiology at the University of Cincinnati and is currently in a Masters of Healthcare Administration Program. We aim to provide practical, peer-reviewed content that is up-todate and relevant for the practicing radiologist who is now facing a new slew of problems that were never addressed during residency training.4 We will implement creative manuscript formats such as point-counterpoint articles from professionals both within and outside radiology to get real opinions and perspectives on critical issues in radiology, so that our audience is better informed about the drivers of trends like turf issues, commoditization, service and value, and health care payment reform. Our goal is to ensure that the content in this section provides excellent value to our audience. The phrase “united we stand, divided we fall” traces its routes to the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, but has been often used throughout history. Within radiology we are now at a point where our field faces real threats affecting the vital role that we play in the delivery of health care. With this new section, we will provide a forum for information dissemination and be a leader in providing up-to-date, actionable information and guidance about business practice improvement to help radiologists maintain their leadership role in imaging. Jonathan Flug, MD, MBA Jason N. Itri, MD, PhD Associate Editors

REFERENCES 1. Glazer GM, Ruiz-Wibbelsmann JA. The invisible radiologist. Radiology 2011;258(1):18-22. 2. Norbash A, Bluth E, Lee CI, et al. Radiologist manpower considerations and imaging 3.0: Effort planning for value-based imaging. J Am Coll Radiol 2014;11(10):953-8. 3. Vydareny KH, Amis JRES, Becker GJ, et al. Diagnostic radiology milestones. J Grad Med Educ 2013;5(1):74-8. 4. Bhargava P. My vision for current problems in diagnostic radiology: 2014 and beyond. Curr Probl Diagn Radiol 2014;43(4):159-61.

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Curr Probl Diagn Radiol, January/February 2015

Promoting value through business practice leadership.

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