Financial Management

Dear readers,

I am honoured to introduce myself as the new Editor-in-Chief for IMAGING Management, with the inspiring challenge ahead of continuing in the established footsteps of my predecessor, Prof. Iain McCall. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Prof. Iain McCall for his long commitment and hard work for IMAGING Management, and extend my promise of continuing to develop the high standards of the journal. I have long followed the progress and quality content of this journal, which has shown to be a leader in its field, standing for development in management trends across the spectrum of the evolving field of medical imaging; with my long-standing participation in professional societies, from the regional level to the international level, I look forward to providing an innovative contribution.

Let me start this issue by introducing our first hot topic: financial management in medical imaging. Amidst the myriad of challenges that directors are faced with in this expanding sector, is the management of financial resources, along with better value-for-money, low-risk investments and cost savings; this is the arena that we explore in this issue’s Cover Story, with Prof. Stephen Baker beginning the discussion with his article on maximising economic resources for academic radiology, stressing the importance of strategies on every level, including relationships, leadership, clinical practice, education and research. Dr. Bernd May then provides us with a focus on new ways of optimising imaging servicing via cost management, while Wilhelm Frewer and Prof. Dr. Hans-Peter Busch emphasise the significance of integrating specialities in a multidisciplinary approach to financial planning, improving efficiency and competitiveness. Prof. Mathias Goyen concludes this informative Cover Story by telling us about Service Level Agreements and their use in budgeting, monitoring and assessing workload within an imaging department.

In our Tech Horizons section, Simone Carron- Peters explores the advancements that have been made in hybrid imaging, including an overview on the evolution of hybrid solutions such as PETMR and SPECT-CT, boosted by the success of PET-CT. Following on the topic of innovation, Carly Reed enthusiastically highlights the changing face of ultrasound in the wake of advances in image quality and functionality. This is followed by a paper from Prof. Francesco Sadanelli, which discusses the growing effectiveness of breast MRI and the special attention that must be paid to high risk patient groups, and then by Prof. Fulvio Stacul who provides updated guidelines from the Contrast Media Safety Committee of the European Society of Urogenital Radiology.

Next on the agenda is another area of innovation: that of imaging biomarkers. Here, Prof. Luis Marti-Bonmati and Prof. Angel Alberich-Bayarri cover ground from the proof of concepts to that of the structured reporting of data. To finalise our features, Adam McLean and Prof. Małgorzata Szczerbo-Trojanowska express the importance of not just advances in imaging and interventional techniques, but also of multidisciplinary care, in the evolving role of interventional oncology.

We finish off with an interview-style piece on developments and challenges in the medical imaging sector in Iran, with valuable feedback from Prof. Abdolrasoul Sedaghat, President, Iranian Society of Radiology.

I welcome your feedback on any of the papers included in this issue, as well as any management expertise you wish to share; I cordially invite you to contact me at the journal on [email protected].

Sincerely,