December 2010 - The passage of major health care reform legislation and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) adds uncertainty to an already unclear outlook for diagnostic imaging. While the effect of the PPACA's imaging payment reductions is pretty dear, the overall affect of such provisions as mandated insurance coverage and the somewhat mysterious accountable care organizations (ACOs) isn't. While much about the future of imaging is a bit foggy (like the future of the PPACA itself in the current tumultuous political climate), a number of imaging trends have enough momentum for the field to survive intact.