Diagnostic Imaging's Blog – July 2008 Archive (72)

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Debate portends radiology's shift from clinical to informatics-based John C. Hayes -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Some time in the not-too-distant future, your radiology department may report to the hospital's chief information officer. A drastic change? You bet, but the pediction was in tune with a strong undercurrent at the May Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine meeting in Seattle. From the plenary and… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Cryotherapy proves effective for small renal cell tumors H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite physician skepticism, mounting clinical evidence shows that cryoablation eradicates renal cell carcinomas 4 cm or smaller with the assurance that they will not reappear for at least a year. Interventionalist Dr. Christos Georgiades and colleagues at Johns Hopkins University Hospital assessed 35 patients… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Controversy dogs lung screening clinical trials By Shalmali Pal -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Despite setbacks in the laboratory and the press, multislice CT as a possible screening test for lung cancer continues to provoke strong interest in anticipation of findings from randomized multicenter clinical trials that may ultimately judge its value. The screening protocol has been controversial since Weill Cornell… Continue

July 1, 2008 CMS calls for temporary hold on Medicare cuts H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday it is freezing the scheduled 10.6% cut in Medicare physician payments until mid-July. The move may give Congress enough time to pass legislation to avoid the cuts. Current legislation allows CMS to withhold payments for 14 or 29 days from the date claims are filed either… Continue

July 1, 2008 CMS calls for temporary hold on Medicare cuts H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Monday it is freezing the scheduled 10.6% cut in Medicare physician payments until mid-July. The move may give Congress enough time to pass legislation to avoid the cuts. Current legislation allows CMS to withhold payments for 14 or 29 days from the date claims are filed either… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Clinical evidence secures reprieve for coronary CTA James Brice -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pending clinical trial results played a pivotal role in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' decision in March to set aside plans to establish a national payment policy for outpatient multislice coronary CT angiography. Other published trials advanced our understanding of how nuclear cardiology,… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Case of the month -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CLINICAL HISTORY A 39-year-old man with a history of cocaine use presented with acute left hemiparesis. FINDINGS Initial noncontrast CT revealed an acute hemorrhage centered in the posterior right putamen (Figure 1). A CT angiogram was performed to exclude an underlying vascular lesion and to predict potential expansion of the hematoma. No underlying lesion was… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. CAD gains ground in climb to routine clinical application By Yomi Wrong -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Now that computer-aided detection has become part of routine clinical work for cancer screening in mammograms and is being applied in the differential diagnosis of cancer in the lung and colon, it's only a matter of time before it rates as the standard of care for diagnostic examinations in daily clinical work.… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Beware the binds that tie up your hands Common contracts already sign away your rights, so why not medical care, too? By Eric Trefelner, M.D. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I think we are almost done here. Just a few more questions, Mr. Jones." "Done?! Are you crazy? We've been here less than 20 minutes." "The advantage of binding arbitration is that it is much quicker than traditional justice." "I'm the victim… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Available scanners tackle future CTC screening demand H. A. Abella -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Showing CT colonography's value for cancer screening was one thing. Proving it could handle the volume of patients who may need the test in years to come, however, is an entirely different task. Researchers say not to fret. CT colonography's validation in clinical trials as an effective cancer screening method on a… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Algorithm addresses match of CT and MR data sets PACS-based Carestream autoregistration could speed analyses and increase diagnostic confidence By Greg Freiherr -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Later this year, Carestream Health will release for testing a PACS algorithm that automatically registers several data sets, synchronizing slices to allow comparison of present and prior CT and MR exams. By early next year,… Continue

July 1, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Advantages of outsourced storage surpass expenses Intangibles may make a difference, even at higher cost, as healthcare institutions weigh the pros and cons of sending imaging data offsite BY EDWARD M. SMITH, SC.D., FACNP -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Outsourcing disaster recovery is the most economical approach to compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act's mandate that healthcare… Continue