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January 2010 Blog Posts (49)

Physician Payment Cut Delayed

(RESTON/ACR) -- Based on the 2010 Medicare fee schedule final rule, the 21.2 percent cut to the conversion factor was scheduled to be implemented Jan. 1, 2010. However, as of December 19, 2009, Congress has passed legislation to apply a zero percent update to the conversion factor through Feb. 28, 2010. This means that instead of the 21.2 cut, the conversion factor for January and February 2010 will be the same as 2009. Below is information from CMS on how claims will be handled for the first… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 5, 2010 at 10:09pm — No Comments

New SBI and ACR Recommendations Suggest Breast Cancer Screening Should Begin at Age 40

(RESTON) -- New SBI and ACR Recommendations Suggest Breast Cancer Screening Should Begin at Age 40

The new recommendations from the Society of Breast Imaging (SBI) and the American College of Radiology (ACR) on breast cancer screening, published in the January issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology (JACR), state that breast cancer screening should begin at age 40 and earlier in high-risk patients. The recommendations also suggest appropriate utilization of medical… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 5, 2010 at 1:00pm — No Comments

Medici Project - Radiographic Survey (Radiographics Article)

(RADIOGRAPHICS) -- This month's Radiographics journal features a very interesting radiographic survey of the Medici family. According to the authors and abstract:

The remains of 12 members of the grand ducal (junior) branch of the Florentine Medici family were exhumed in 2003 as part of the Medici Project, a multidisciplinary study whose aim was to investigate the lifestyles, health status, and possible causes of death of members of one of the richest, most powerful families of… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 5, 2010 at 2:00am — No Comments

Radiofrequency Ablation Safe and Effective for Reducing Pain from Bone Metastases

Philadelphia, PA – Image-guided radiofrequency ablation (RFA), a minimally invasive cancer treatment which can be performed in the outpatient setting, significantly reduced the level of pain experienced by cancer patients with bone (osseous) metastases, limiting the need for strong narcotic pain management, and supporting improved patient frame of mind, according to results of an American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) study published online Jan. 4, 2010 in the journal… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 4, 2010 at 2:47pm — No Comments

ACR Case in Point - Preview for the week of January 4th, 2010

To view ACR Case in Point Cases, please visit http://caseinpoint.acr.org

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 4, 2010 at 9:25am — No Comments

Biomarker Identification Accelerates Alzheimer Research

(RSNA News) --

A new study, showing that PET scans and cognitive testing can help detect the risk of developing Alzheimer disease (AD), is among promising new research presented at the Alzheimer's Association's 2009 International Conference on AD that could lead to diagnosis at the preclinical stage.

Read the full article from RSNA News:… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 4, 2010 at 2:12am — No Comments

Stanford 3D Lab Emerges as Imaging Leader

(RSNA News) --

During the course of producing extraordinary clinical images for patients and clinicians, the 3D Imaging Laboratory at Stanford University School of Medicine has established itself an international epicenter for developing and teaching the 3D image postprocessing techniques that are becoming increasingly critical to clinicians and researchers worldwide.

Multidetector CT Angiography in the Evaluation of Acute Blunt Head and Neck Trauma: A Proposed Acute Craniocervical Trauma Scoring System

(RADIOLOGY) -- A proposed acute craniocervical trauma scoring system could be used as a guide to select blunt trauma patients for multidetector CT angiographic evaluation. In a retrospective study of 830 consecutive patients who presented to an emergency department with acute blunt head and neck trauma over 9 years, Delgado Almandoz and colleagues discovered that multidetector CT angiography depicted injury in 12.8% of those patients. A proposed scoring system based on independent predictors of… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 1, 2010 at 3:43pm — No Comments

ACR to Comment on Meaningful Use Rules

(RESTON) -- ACR to Comment on Meaningful Use Rules

On December 30, the Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services (CMS) and the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) announced two of three highly anticipated regulatory notices on the “meaningful use of certified electronic health record (EHR) technology” Medicare/Medicaid incentives program authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA).

CMS released a proposed… Continue

Added by radRounds Radiology Network on January 1, 2010 at 12:13pm — No Comments