The Medicare hospital value-based purchasing program and imaging's role.

Medicare and other payors are simultaneously seeking both a reduction in overall healthcare expenditures and an improvement in the quality of care for covered individuals. This movement recognizes the widespread belief that poor quality of care is expensive. Medicare will initially make payments to hospitals for inpatient acute care services based upon the hospitals' achievement of certain performance standards, notably including patient experience of care. Imaging professionals should keep their eyes and ears open and playan active role in the changes that are occurring within their hospitals and their healthcare communities more generally.