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Dr. Gary Becker, RSNA President talks about 95th annual meeting of Radiological Society of North America ( RSNA 2009 ) to be held in Chicago from November 29 - December 4.

The Radiological Society of North America's (RSNA) annual meeting will be held on November 29-December 4 at Chicago's McCormick Place Convention Center.Aside from the conference's grand-scale plenary sessions and professional symposia, more than 1,700 educational exhibits and presentations on 1,750 scientific papers in 16 subspecialties are keeping attendees informed about the latest in the industry. Session topics include informatics and issues of radiation dose, health policy and research, and a full range of radiology subspecialties, including breast imaging, neuroradiology,neuroradiology, radiation oncology, radiobiology, and vascular and interventional radiology.

Many show-goers have mentioned that attendance appears to be down significantly this year. RSNA organizers say more than 55,000 attendees have registered for the 95th RSNA Annual Meeting, but actual attendee numbers will not be available until early next year.

Some of the discussions and sessions on the agenda this year relate to current issues of health care reform, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) rulings, industry sales, and trends in technology and interoperability.

Health care reform is creating a lot of buzz this year, especially now that long-accepted clinical guidelines have been called into question; however, Dr. Becker did not feel that current politics would have a negative impact on the meeting's proceedings.

"I don't think health care reform is going to be a pervasive backdrop, but I do think it is on everybody's mind...a great deal of government decision-making ultimately affects the industry and the industry's customers," said Dr. Becker. "For example, CMS decisions ultimately will adjust the baseline for reimbursement, eventually influencing the health insurance companies, as well. There is a lot of uncertainty about what is to come."

Dr. Becker highlighted patient-centric health care IT as an emerging trend in technology for the coming year.

"Patients' involvement in their own health care is an important theme in current discussions, making patient-controlled medical records a hot topic," Dr. Becker said. "RSNA will feature an image sharing demonstration, showcasing technology that ultimately will help patients, particularly those who move between institutions or even among facilities within the same regional network."

Such informatics demonstrations have taken place at RSNA for many years with the help of Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE).

IHE is the combined effort of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society ( HIMSS ) and RSNA. Staff and volunteers from the two organizations have worked to identify areas of consensus within the industry, and technical personnel are building integration profiles that standardize forms of communication within the industry. "The integration profiles make it all possible," Dr. Becker said.

Technical and professional accreditation is another important topic this year. "The Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA) of 2008 mandated an accreditation process for PET , CT , and MRI facilities across the United States beginning in 2011 and 2012.

In the exhibition hall, more than 700 technical exhibits will span more than 450,000 square feet, with 15 percent of exhibits presented by first-time exhibitors. In addition to the IHE Image Sharing Demonstration, highlights include the Reading Room of the Future, showcasing products that integrate quantitative analysis into the image interpretation process, and a collaborative course with the American Association of Family Physicians.

Source: RSNA

You can discuss more about RSNA Conference and related topics in our RSNA Conference Group.