Houston, TX and Annapolis, MD / PRWeb / June 5, 2014 – RadSite™, a national leader in the certification and accreditation of diagnostic imaging systems, and an official accrediting body as designated by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), congratulates Garry Carneal, JD, MA, RadSite president & CEO, on his 25th anniversary in the health care industry.  As Carneal celebrates this career milestone, he is working with RadSite to develop the next generation of smart networks in medical imaging. 

RadSite’s president and CEO since 2010, Carneal helped add fresh octane to the organization’s flagship quality benchmarking program founded in 2005, the RadSite Assessment Program (RAP). RAP creates “smart networks” that drive enhanced quality and efficiency for health plans and providers. To date, RadSite has certified 24,000 imaging providers and 60,000 imaging systems for several different payer clients.  RadSite’s programs help assess, track and report imaging trends in an effort to enhance imaging procedures and outcomes.

“Promoting quality is a core objective of most accreditation programs in health care, but quantifying the link between quality and reducing costs can be difficult to document,” Carneal says. “RadSite is encouraged by the results of several recent ROI studies that showcase the ability of RAP to lower imaging costs and utilization rates for health plans that require its imaging providers be RadSite-certified. RadSite also has a direct impact on improving clinical outcomes and promoting patient safety.”

Last year, RadSite released its first independent Return on Investment (ROI) study regarding the impact of the RadSite certification program on a national health plan. This study, completed by an independent consulting firm, reported an average ROI impact of 5.8:1.  A companion study will be released later this year that highlights the reduction in radiation dose in the populations RadSite serves. 

The “RadSite Effect,” which results in the positive ROI, starts with a health plan or provider organization requiring all of its network imaging providers to complete the RAP program and implement quality-based workflows. This promotes patient-based safety activities, a reduction in unnecessary imaging, and the creation of a value-based network. The positive results are driven by various factors: the depth and scope of the online assessment questions; the educational opportunities that RadSite offers to each provider including telephonic coaching by RadSite customer service representatives; ongoing desktop and onsite audits; and the annual re-certification to ensure RadSite’s standards are upheld. 

After launching his career in 1989 on Capitol Hill addressing long-term care issues, Carneal spent 25 years working in a variety of health care positions, primarily with health plans and networks. Career highlights include: 

  • URAC – Carneal is the former president and CEO of URAC.  During his nine-year tenure, he launched over 15 new accreditation programs, including several that directly affect health plans and networks.  Among other accomplishments, he helped position URAC to become the leading accreditation body for PPOs. 
  • NAIC – Before URAC, Carneal served as legislative counsel to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), where he drafted several key model managed care laws adopted by the states. He also represented the state insurance departments before Congress during the 1993-94 health care reform debate. 
  • AHIP – He also served as vice president of legal and state affairs at the American Association of Health Plans, now called America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP).  Earlier, Carneal also worked for the Group Health Association of America (GHAA), a trade group that represented health plans, which is now part of AHIP.  
  • Epstein Becker Green – Earlier in his career as an attorney with this health law firm, Carneal worked on corporate transactions affecting health plans.   
  • InforMed – After leaving URAC, Carneal became the president of InforMed Medical Management Services running their medical management and network divisions.  InforMed assumed a leadership position in forming and launching several private-sector ACO arrangements prior to the adoption of the Affordable Care Act. 
  • Schooner Strategies – In 2007, Carneal founded Schooner Healthcare Services (now Schooner Strategies), a consulting firm that serves as an incubator and business development shop for a number of health care organizations and nonprofit groups. 

 

“I am excited about working with health plans, accountable care organizations, preferred provider organizations and similar arrangements to help build the next generation of ‘smart networks’ through my work at RadSite and several key trade groups,” Carneal says. Among other activities, Carneal also serves as facilitator for an American Association of Provider Administrators and Networks (AAPAN) committee that is focusing on standardizing value-based purchasing criteria for PPOs and other networks.

RadSite also offers the MIPPA Accreditation Program (MAP), designed to meet the requirements set forth by CMS under the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA), and the Network Imaging Certification (NIC) Program, which offers a ‘seal of approval’ for health plans, networks, provider groups and others willing to mandate the RadSite Assessment Program for their participating providers.

RadSite sponsors a number of certification and accreditation programs that are recognized by CMS and private payers. It also offers educational and reporting services for health plans, imaging providers, regulators, and consumers.  For more information about RadSite and its services, visit www.radsitequality.com.

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About RadSite™ (www.radsitequality.com)

Founded in 2005, RadSite’s mission is to promote quality-based practices for imaging systems across the United States and its territories. RadSite has reviewed over 24,000 imaging facilities covering about 60,000 imaging systems. RadSite’s certification and accreditation programs help assess, track and report imaging trends in an effort to enhance imaging procedures and outcomes. RadSite also offers educational programs, publishes issue briefs, and underwrites research on a complimentary basis to raise awareness of patient safety issues and to promote best practices. The organization is governed by an independent board and committee system, which is open to a wide-range of volunteers to ensure transparency and accountability. RadSite is expanding its activities and resources to serve patients, providers, payers, government agencies, and other stakeholder groups. To learn more about RadSite, please contact us at (855) 440-6001 or info@radsitequality.com.