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Northeast Radiology and Housatonic Valley Radiological Associates (HVRA) are proud to announce that they will be merging operations effective August 3, 2015. The companies will continue operating under the Northeast Radiology name.

The integration of the practices will take advantage of the strengths of both organizations and will significantly improve access to high quality, affordable imaging services for patients in the greater Danbury and New Milford communities. “As part of our commitment to our patients, referring physicians, and the community, we will be making a multi-million dollar investment in our Danbury and New Milford imaging centers” said Dr. Howard Lee, MD, President of Northeast Radiology. He continued: “We will be making major investments to upgrade MRI, CT scan, 3D mammography, and ultrasound in the imaging centers. We also will be upgrading the IT infrastructure and facilities to improve the patient experience and to enhance ease of access and service for our patients and referring physicians.”

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Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality for both men and women in the US. Lung cancers are typically found at advanced stages, when treatment options are limited and as a result, mortality rates are high. Early detection is key with lung cancer, and recent studies have found a significant survival benefit to patients who have low dose CT scans to identify lung cancer at its earliest stages.

New Medicare guidelines will provide coverage to high-risk seniors for low dose CT screening studies, beginning in 2015. Many private insurers will also be covering the screening test for individuals who are at high-risk.

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Over the past year, community hospitals in the Lower Hudson Valley have been courted by large, out-of-town health care networks, with many marching down the aisle to cast their future with giant health systems.

But these mergers may not lead to relationships that satisfy everyone.

Hospitals tout the benefits of joining bigger health systems as better coordinated health care and efficiencies of scale resulting in lower costs.

They can bring new services to an area – even areas like Westchester and Rockland already served by plenty of well-equipped and well-staffed medical centers. The consolidations also put hospital systems in a better position to qualify for a chunk of the $8 billion in Medicaid redesign money the state is doling out.

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Should consumers shop for the best deals–or any deals–when it comes to their health care? Don’t miss this interactive video JournalCast, moderated The Wall Street Journal’s health columnist Melinda Beck and featuring a panel of health-care experts from across the country.

Video Panelists Include:

• Ardis Dee Hoven: President, American Medical Association
• Jeffrey Rice: President and CEO, Healthcare Bluebook
• Suzanne Delbanco: Executive Director, Catalyst for Payment Reform

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It’s a simple idea, but a radical one. Let people know in advance how much health care will cost them—and whether they can find a better deal somewhere else.

With outrage growing over incomprehensible medical bills and patients facing a higher share of the costs, momentum is building for efforts to do just that. Price transparency, as it is known, is common in most industries but rare in health care, where “charges,” “prices,” “rates” and “payments” all have different meanings and bear little relation to actual costs.