FDA’s radiation exposure-reduction initiative: HealthHelp’s model provides quality and safety

Feb 16 2010

The Federal Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recently announced radiation exposure-reduction initiative acknowledges the vital need for industry-wide quality and safety measures like the ones HealthHelp provides its payer clients.

“We are proud to support and enable effective payer initiatives that are already in place to achieve radiation reduction goals”

HealthHelp, a leader in radiology and radiation oncology benefit management, provides a suite of services that help prevent illnesses that result from unnecessary radiation exposure by ensuring that patients receive the right tests at the right times in high-quality facilities.

“We are proud to support and enable effective payer initiatives that are already in place to achieve radiation reduction goals,” said Dr. Mark D. Hiatt, HealthHelp’s executive vice president and medical director. “HealthHelp’s model proves that quality and safety don’t have to suffer to reduce health care spending. In fact, quality and safety initiatives produce long-term, sustained savings.”

HealthHelp improves the quality of care and lowers radiology costs by enhancing physician knowledge, which changes long-term ordering patterns for high-tech imaging procedures like CT and cardiac nuclear medicine. Its programs also set quality standards for imaging facilities, ensure procedures are performed by qualified physicians using high-quality equipment, help payers establish quality provider networks, and educate patients about the benefits and risks of imaging procedures.

HealthHelp has also begun to apply its effective benefit-management framework to radiation oncology. As a recent series of New York Times articles pointed out, much work remains to be done regarding the quality and safety of radiation oncology treatments. HealthHelp ensures that radiation oncology treatment plans conform to evidence-based protocols. This helps prevent

• recurring cancers, which can result from ineffective radiation delivery;
• secondary cancers caused by unnecessary radiation to healthy tissue; and
• side effects, which can require additional treatment.

Humana, a long-time HealthHelp client, became the first insurer to implement radiation oncology benefit management nationwide when it adopted HealthHelp’s new program last year. HealthHelp has reduced the amount of unnecessary radiation to Humana’s patients from both diagnostic imaging procedures and radiation oncology treatments.

Cherrill Farnsworth, president and CEO of HealthHelp, founded the company to promote quality and safety and has been a regular spokesperson for radiology management and reform. She is also a member of the National Quality Forum (NQF), which was formed by the U.S. Senate in response to the Institute of Medicine’s report on medical mistakes.

“We have long worked with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and other congressional and regulatory bodies on radiology quality and safety issues, and we look forward to serving as a resource to the FDA as it works to reduce radiation exposure,” Farnsworth said. “We are heartened to see that the FDA shares our vision for reducing unnecessary radiation.”

SOURCE HealthHelp