Seminars in Interventional Radiology最新文献

Health services research (HSR) is a multidisciplinary field which studies access to drivers of health care service utilization, the quality and cost of services, and their outcomes on groups of patients. Since its foundations in the 1960s, there has been a large focus on HSR and using large data sets to study real-world care. Because interventional radiology (IR) is a dynamic field with foundations in innovation, research often focuses on small-scale projects. This review will discuss HSR including data sources, focus areas, methodologies, limitations, and opportunities for future directions in IR.

Health care policy in the United States is made by nonphysician lawmakers and government employees. Through advocacy and lobbying, physicians have an opportunity to be involved in the process. Interventional radiologists (IRs) are the experts on issues related to IR. Government relation offers IRs the opportunity to engage with members of Congress, officials in Federal and State agencies, and State legislators to inform and influence their decision making. The Society of Interventional Radiology PAC (SIRPAC) is the only PAC to represent the interests of interventional radiology. Increased contributions to SIRPAC are essential to be sure that the voice of IR is heard.

The mechanisms of payment for medical services are complicated and create predictable incentives. Physicians can benefit from understanding how hospitals, practices, employers, and payers understand payment, since this has a role in determining how certain patient care services are valued and prioritized. Type of hospital, location of service delivery, and a physician's relationship with the payer or provider entity can greatly impact the value of a physician's work. The landscape of payers is large, but Medicare payment has come to drive the behavior of many private payers. This article will outline the key components of Medicare and how they apply to physicians, hospitals, and ambulatory surgical centers to provide a basic structure for thinking about payment for medical services. This review of the fundamentals of Medicare payment will provide a framework for physicians to understand the financial incentives that underlie clinical and operational decisions in the healthcare system.

Racial, ethnic, and gender disparities have received focused attention recently, as they became more visible in the COVID era. We continue to learn more about how healthcare disparities manifest for our patients and, more broadly, the structural underpinnings that result in predictable outcomes gaps. This review summarizes what we know about disparities relevant to interventional radiologists. The prevalence and magnitude of disparities are quantified and discussed where relevant. Specific examples are provided to demonstrate how factors like gender, ethnicity, social status, geography, etc. interact to create inequities in the delivery of interventional radiology (IR) care. Understanding and addressing health disparities in IR is crucial for improving real-world patient outcomes and reducing the economic burden associated with ineffective and low-value care. Finally, the importance of intentional mentorship, outreach, education, and equitable distribution of high-quality healthcare to mitigate these disparities and promote health equity in interventional radiology is discussed.

Organizational structure has evolved over the past several decades, with physicians assuming more or fewer leadership positions over time. Regardless of the role of physicians in health care organizational leadership, constant meaningful communication with the hospital, radiology group, or greater physician group administrative leadership is vital for any group of IR physicians to be successful. Understanding what is considered important to hospital administration and, in particular, being closely aligned with the C-suite leadership, is paramount to having successful communication with these stakeholders. Although each situation will obligatorily be unique, certain themes can be followed to optimize the working relationship between an interventional radiology service and organizational administration. This article provides guidelines and suggestions specifically in communicating with health care system leadership.