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April 2008 Blog Posts (84)

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Reimbursement woes call for paradigm shift

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Reimbursement woes call for paradigm shift PAYMENT POLICY Michael Longacre -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Recent economic headlines have been equally negative for both providers and vendors: "$45 trillion gap seen in US benefits," "Medicare spending surged in 2006," "DRA cuts enter year two," "Philips' imaging sales hit by DRA," "GE Healthcare profits decline in 2007," "Bush seeks surplus through Medicare cuts."… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Online patient medical records will challenge radiologists and others

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Online patient medical records will challenge radiologists and others Emily Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- More than a decade after the shift to PACS became firmly established in radiology, a national movement toward digitizing all medical information appears to be gaining traction. As reported in our EI&IT section, Google and Microsoft, two of the biggest players in the digital world, have launched… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Labor bureau predicts end of chronic tech shortage

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Labor bureau predicts end of chronic tech shortage NEWSCLIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Workforce projections from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics suggest the supply of imaging and radiation oncology technologists may exceed demand by 2016, according to a study by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists. The study suggests that if BLS forecasts are accurate, the industry could be producing… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 4:00pm — No Comments

Imaging research efforts place focus on clinical effectiveness

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Imaging research efforts place focus on clinical effectiveness RESEARCH TO PRACTICE James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The early months of 2008 were unsettling for physicians with an interest in cardiac CT. In a sense, the year began for these radiologists and cardiologists with the Jan. 12 deadline to comment on Medicare's controversial proposal to establish a national coverage determination for cardiac… Continue

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Imagers hone bedside manner to court savvy consumers

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Imagers hone bedside manner to court savvy consumers Emily Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In the children's book Jessica's X-Ray, a little girl with a broken her arm travels through a hospital getting various kinds of imaging studies, from old-fashioned plain films to economical ultrasound to sophisticated MRI. Given the current level of competition, diagnostic imaging specialists could be forgiven for… Continue

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High CCTA radiation exposure underscores need for better user education

April 1, 2008 High CCTA radiation exposure underscores need for better user education James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Results from an international trial involving 44 sites have confirmed that the routine clinical use of cardiac CT angiography exposes patients to large amounts of ionizing radiation. The amount of radiation exposure varies considerably, suggesting that users have not uniformly adopted dose-reducing imaging strategies,… Continue

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fMRI bolsters diagnosis, management of autism

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. fMRI bolsters diagnosis, management of autism NEWSCLIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Functional MRI can identify brain activity patterns unique to people with autism spectrum disorders. Findings suggest that quantitative fMRI-based measurements could improve the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Principal investigator Pearl H. Chiu, Ph.D., an assistant professor of neuroscience at Baylor College of… Continue

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Fibroid embolization proves primacy in two trial results

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Fibroid embolization proves primacy in two trial results NEWSCLIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two major studies have concluded that uterine artery embolization is as good as or better than hysterectomy or myomectomy for treatment of uterine fibroids. The multicenter Embolization versus Hysterectomy (EMMY) trial enrolled 177 women with uterine fibroids who were randomized to undergo UAE or hysterectomy. All… Continue

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Exposé shows insurers have reason to gloat

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Exposé shows insurers have reason to gloat Bradley M. Tipler, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was disappointed the popular media didn't pick up the recent article in The New York Times and Review by reporter/sleuth I. C. Hays. Hays acquired from "an unnamed source" a copy of an internal memo from the president of the Health Insurers of America, the largest trade organization in the field. The memo, dated… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 3:30pm — No Comments

Digital strategies aim to reduce breast imaging radiation dose

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Digital strategies aim to reduce breast imaging radiation dose WOMEN'S HEALTH Karen Sandrick -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Because modern digital detectors can be tuned to be more efficient than screen-film systems, they automatically lower the radiation dose to the patient while maintaining the image quality radiologists crave. Photon-counting, the method used in Sectra's detector, for example, minimizes… Continue

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Digital radiography demand sputters as the boom busts

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Digital radiography demand sputters as the boom busts TECHWATCH Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Digital radiography has been growing by leaps and bounds. Demand in the U.S. jumped 41% in 2004, 32% the next year, and 25% the year after that. Then, suddenly, in 2007, the market flattened. So far this year, it has shown no signs of recovering. Some vendors framed the change as reflecting an… Continue

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Digital imaging benefits women with dense breasts

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Digital imaging benefits women with dense breasts NEWSCLIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An analysis of the multicenter results of the Digital Mammography Imaging Screen Trial has found that digital mammography outperforms screen-film mammography for women under 50 who have dense breasts. DMIST, sponsored by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network, enrolled 49,528 women at 33 centers in the U.S. and… Continue

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Diagnostic Imaging North America - April 2008

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Diagnostic Imaging North America April 2008 COVER STORY By: Emily Hayes Imagers hone bedside manner to court savvy consumers DEPARTMENTS Agenda By: James Brice DI challenges readers to swallow story that features pointed findings Overread Breast screening trial favors computer-aided detection Spoof Nobel Prize goes to imaging study with sharp point Cardiac MR identifies patients… Continue

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DI challenges readers to swallow story that features pointed findings

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. DI challenges readers to swallow story that features pointed findings AGENDA James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We hope one of the things that distinguishes us from other medical imaging media is our sense of fun. The practice and science of radiology can be scintillating reading (especially when it relates to nuclear medicine), but it can require intense mental concentration as well. Diagnostic Imaging… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 2:00pm — No Comments

Confused about BI-RADS 0? Here are guidelines to help you along

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Confused about BI-RADS 0? Here are guidelines to help you along Stamatia Destounis, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Is there confusion surrounding the Breast Imaging Reporting and Database System (BI-RADS) category 0 assessment? If it is used in the manner in which the American College of Radiology originally meant it to be implemented, there shouldn't be. The only time BI-RADS category 0 should be used is… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Cheap drug protects against contrast-induced nephropathy

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Cheap drug protects against contrast-induced nephropathy NEWSCLIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- As the number of patients undergoing contrast-enhanced CT scans grows, so does the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy. How to protect patients? By asking them to pop an N-acetylcysteine (NAC) pill before the exam. Principal investigator Dr. Aine M. Kelly and colleagues at the University of Michigan Medical School… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Case Of The Month

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Case Of The Month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLINICAL HISTORY 40-year-old man with HIV presents with acute onset of shortness of breath and pleuritic chest pain. FINDINGS PA chest radiograph (Figure 1) demonstrates bilateral fine reticular perihilar opacities, as well as bilateral, predominantly thin-walled, pneumatoceles. A moderate right apical pneumothorax is also evident. CT image (Figure 2) identifies… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Cardiovascular screening tackles disease in NFL pros

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Cardiovascular screening tackles disease in NFL pros NEWSCLIPS -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The colossal linemen of the National Football League and large folks in general may have more in common than their size. People who weigh more than 300 pounds are more than twice as likely as a lighter person to die from a heart attack or stroke, according to a study sponsored by the Living Heart Foundation. LHF founder… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:30pm — No Comments

Cardiac MR identifies patients for valve surgery

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Cardiac MR identifies patients for valve surgery James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Oxford University researchers have established that aortic regurgitation fraction, measured with cardiac MR, accurately singles out patients who need aortic valve replacement. Patients with aortic regurgitation pose a challenge, especially when they are asymptomatic, said principal investigator Dr. Saul G. Myerson during… Continue

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Breast screening trial favors computer-aided detection

April 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Breast screening trial favors computer-aided detection H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- An evaluation of nearly a quarter million mammograms suggests screening mammography with computer-aided detection is more sensitive than double reads. The findings contradict a 2007 study that questioned breast CAD's effectiveness. Mammographic CAD remains controversial. Radiologists argue its misuse drives up… Continue

Added by Diagnostic Imaging on April 1, 2008 at 1:00pm — No Comments

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