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At the end of 2007, Medicare reported the increase in medical imaging costs overtook increases in pharmaceutical costs for the first time. Imaging costs accounted for a 20% increase, while pharmaceuticals accounted for just 10%. There are two common areas where imaging costs impact overall healthcare spending: unnecessary exams and operational management. This article does not suggest alternatives to today's imaging management practices. It provides economic information, which may be valuable to imaging managers who want to gauge the costs of operating their own departments to what is going on in the industry.

A simple phone call was the impetus for a group of hospitals in northern New Jersey to create a consortium that would meet their collective need to supply continuing education credits for their RTs. Many of the seven original member-hospitals had eliminated continuing education reimbursement and other resources were unavailable. Yet hospital RTs still needed to fulfill American Registry of Radiologic Technologists (ARRT) requirements. The mission of the consortium was to provide a variety of topics that would meet the criteria for continuing education credits, as mandated by the ARRT. The idea was so simple, the seven original hospital members wondered why they hadn't thought of it earlier. If each member hospital offered a three-credit seminar, collectively the consortium could offer 21 credits per year for their employees, more than enough to meet ARRT requirements. The group gave itself a name--Northern New Jersey Council for Continuing Education--and quickly began to create a policy and procedure manual. It came up with basic rules for attendance, voting privileges and a goal for expanding its membership. The newly created manual detailed member responsibilities and instructions for holding seminars. The manual outlined responsibilities for collecting fees, registration, attendance and certification. The consortium agreed on a consistent format for advertising, letterhead and certificates for seminars. Each member was required to submit a course outline for the consortium's approval, which allowed a variety of both technical and nontechnical topics. Some members organized their own seminars, after submitting an application to the ASRT for approval. Others worked with various vendors who were happy to provide a seminar to a group of customers, rather than to individual customers. After three years, the consortium has proved beneficial to all involved. Most of all, it has met the members' goal of providing continuing education with limited resources.