The medical industry directs the vast majority of its spending for the promotion and advertising of medical devices and drugs towards physicians––but those industry payments are significantly larger for male physicians compared to female physicians.

The healthcare industry has faced numerous workforce challenges, including higher costs and turnover rates. Fortunately, the sector appears to be recovering from losses caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stamatia Destounis, MD, FACR, a radiologist and managing partner at Elizabeth Wende Breast Care in Rochester, New York, and chair of the ACR Breast Commission, discusses post-COVID-19 economic issues facing breast imaging centers, including staffing problems from the "Great Resignation" and lower reimbursements. 

The third quarter of 2022 was the smallest funding quarter of the year so far for digital health, highlighting the changing fundamentals across the economy impacting the sector.

Dense breast experts Wendie Berg, MD, and JoAnn Pushkin, executive director of DenseBreast-info Inc., explain the current status of breast density patient inform laws, reimbursement and new technologies to aid cancer detection. 

"By imposing a 35%-42% cut, [CMS] has essentially created a scenario where it is going to destroy electrophysiology as a field," explained Dhanunjaya "DJ" Lakkireddy, MD.

We spoke to executives from some of healthcare's most prominent vendors to find out what challenges are on their radar in 2022 and beyond. 

U.S. hospitals and health systems are in poor shape financially after being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and historic inflation.