title: Turf wars in radiology: introduction.
abstract: Turf wars over medical imaging have become ubiquitous. At many centers, radiologists already have lost access to important technologies and their applications. A combination of decreasing revenues in other specialties and a growing attachment to imaging further threatens radiologists' practices in the future. This is the first of an extended series of articles that will address the phenomenon of self-referral--its motivations, extent, and the threats it poses to radiologists. Each article will focus on a specific aspect and provide advice on how radiologists can deal with self-referral in their locales.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital and Jefferson Medical College, Philadelphia, PA 19107, USA. david.levin@mail.tju.edu
authors.forename: David C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Levin
authors.forename: Vijay M
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Rao
mesh_terms: D016265:Conflict of Interest / Q000191:economics*; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D018584:Physician Self-Referral / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D015642:Radiology, Interventional / Q000191:economics* / Q000639:trends; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013679:Technology, Radiologic / Q000191:economics; D014481:United States