WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Imaging e-Ordering Coalition (“Coalition”), an alliance of leading healthcare providers, technology companies, and diagnostic imaging organizations, is pleased to announce the unveiling of its new website. The Coalition launched the www.imagingeorder.org website on December 7, 2015.
The Coalition was created in 2009 for the purpose of proactively advocating with federal policymakers around certain issues related to medical imaging services. In particular, the Coalition has worked to promote the use of computerized clinical decision support (CDS) technologies that provide clinicians with guidance regarding the ordering of patient-appropriate imaging services.
This work supported the successful inclusion of Section 218(b) in the Protecting Access to Medicare Act (PAMA) of 2014, which directs the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) to implement a CDS program for advanced imaging services provided under Medicare. HHS recently issued final regulations to implement the first step in the new program – qualifying provider-led entities (PLEs) to develop Appropriate Use Criteria (AUC). “We are excited to see HHS moving forward to implement this promising approach to improved quality of care under Medicare,” said Joe Allen, Team Lead of Clinical Pathways and Policy at the American College of Cardiology and a Coalition Co-Chair.
As part of the Coalition’s mission to provide thought leadership and stakeholder education regarding the potential for imaging-related CDS to promote high quality, cost effective, integrated care for patients, the website contains a variety of information and provides resources on the topic -- including legislative analysis, studies and information and links to developments in this rapidly growing field. New content will continue to roll out on the site over the coming months as more resources and features are added.
Last week, the 2015 Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) was filled with discussion of CDS for imaging ordering and numerous companies showcasing a variety of products and services in this area. There is great interest in how CDS can be integrated into provider workflows and used to support innovative approaches to alternative payment models (APMs) and clinical quality improvement activities in both public and commercial health care environments. “We are encouraged by the rapid pace of development and the number of industry participants who are stepping up to provide solutions in this area,” said Michael Mabry, Executive Director of the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) and a Coalition co-Chair.
