October 31, 2008 Ultrasound nears its potential in breast cancer By Greg Freiherr It’s been a long time coming. Nearly a decade has passed since ATL took a serious run at advancing the medical art of breast cancer diagnosis. The company, long-since absorbed by Philips Healthcare, developed a novel algorithm designed for its Ultramark 9 HDI, later adapted for its HDI 3000 and 5000. The goal was to eliminate the need for at least some biopsies. In an effort to reach it, ATL took on the arduous…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 31, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 31, 2008 Final rules in 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule disappoint some, elate others By James Brice The 2009 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule reflects the recent tendency of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to propose stringent reforms for in-office imaging and independent diagnostic imaging facilities in the summer and decide against their implementation when the final MPFS rules are published in the fall. This year, CMS deferred taking action on its proposal that…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 31, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 30, 2008 Spokane VA Medical Center and NightHawk Radiology Services Improving Patient Care with After-Hours Reads NightHawk Radiology Services is leading the transformation of the practice of radiology. Its team of U.S. board-certified, state-licensed, and hospital-privileged physicians located in the US, Australia, and Switzerland, provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for more than 750 radiology group customers and the 26% of all U.S. hospitals they serve. NightHawk…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 30, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 30, 2008 NightHawk third quarter results show scan volume up 1%, prices off 3% COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho, Oct 29 -- NightHawk Radiology Holdings announced Wednesday financial results for its third quarter ended Sept. 30. The following are third quarter 2008 highlights: * Revenue was $43.4 million compared with $45.2 million in the year-ago quarter. Scan volume grew 1% to 792,000 scans while pricing declined 3%. * Revenue from new service offerings, including final reads and business…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 30, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 30, 2008 Chest CT shows value during follow-up for head and neck cancer patients By Rebekah Moan Multislice CT chest studies should be routinely performed, especially during follow-up exams, for some head and neck cancer patients, according to a recent study from Taiwan in the Archives of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery. Chest CT is recommended for newly diagnosed head and neck cancer patients at high risk for developing a malignant neoplasm of the lung during follow-up,…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 30, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 29, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. CT colonography offers number one choice after failed colonoscopy By Rebekah Moan An Italian investigation suggests virtual colonography is a better follow-up test for failed colonoscopy than a double-contrast barium enema. Dr. Lapo Sali of the radiodiagnostic section within the department of clinical physiopathology at the University of Florence and colleagues conducted a population-based screening program for colorectal cancer in Tuscany (World J…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 29, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 29, 2008 Brain imaging uncovers why people overbid at auctions New York University neuroscientists and economists have combined functional MRI with behavioral economic research to discover why people tend to overbid for products sold at auction: fear of losing a social competition. The next step may be explaining irrational Wall Street behavior. Functional MRI was used to examine brain activation patterns while volunteers played either an auction game with a partner or a lottery game.…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 29, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 28, 2008 Study evaluates stack mode viewing techniques by Douglas Page In the absence of satisfactory 3D viewers, most volumetric medical data is currently viewed as stacks of 2D slices. Yet little research has been conducted on stack mode viewing techniques. A recent study from Canada evaluated three interaction techniques for scrolling stack mode displays of volumetric data: * Two techniques used a scroll-wheel mouse. * One used only the wheel, while another used a click-and-drag…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 28, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 28, 2008 Obama health reform plan continues to lead in DiagnosticImaging.com survey Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's health plan continues to hold a lead over the plan put forth by Republican John McCain in a survey being conducted at DiagnosticImaging.com. As of midday Oct. 27, the survey had received 380 votes. Obama's plan was favored by 44.7% and McCain's by 42.1% of respondents, a slight gain for McCain from a week earlier. Another 6.1% favored a different plan, 5%…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 28, 2008 at 10:00pm —
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October 27, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Emergency Medical Services acquires Templeton Readings Emergency Medical Services announced that its EmCare subsidiary has acquired Templeton Readings. Founded in 2001 in suburban Baltimore by Dr. Philip A. Templeton, Templeton Readings provides final reads and teleradiology services with contracts in 31 states and agreements representing an extensive network of radiologists across the country. The transaction was completed on Oct. 17. EmCare anticipates…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 27, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 27, 2008 Core needle biopsy proves safe for patients taking anticoagulants Radiologists can breathe easier about the risk of patient bleeding and bruising when performing core needle breast biopsies on women who take daily anticoagulant aspirin or therapeutically-in-range warfarin, according to a new study. In the past, patients were advised to cease anticoagulation therapy for one week before undergoing core needle breast biopsy. Radiologists found, however, that stopping…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 27, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 24, 2008 Colonoscopy proves cost-effective for younger patients but questionable in older ones Rebekah Moan Conducting colonoscopies for people in their midfifties saves money, but screening in those older than 75 may not be beneficial, according to a government policy group. Research presented in September at the 2008 American College of Gastroenterology’s meeting showed that screening for colon cancer at age 55 would save at least two dollars for every dollar spent. …
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 24, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 24, 2008 Stereotaxis releases IT platform A data management platform developed by Stereotaxis for the remote viewing and recording of interventional procedures is on the market. The company, a pioneer in magnetically guided catheterization, said its Odyssey Cinema will store and replay procedures either in part or in their entirety. These playbacks will serve as a means for expanded clinical collaboration, remote consultation, and training. PerkinElmer makes Asian play Seeking to extend…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 24, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 23, 2008 CT's impact in diagnosing appendicitis depends on clinical likelihood Clinical experience shows that diagnostic CT reduces the incidence of negative appendectomies. Those skeptical about the application's safety, however, may find ammunition in a recent prospective study that suggests CT may be unnecessary when appendicitis is unlikely. Dr. Robert O. Nathan, an acting assistant professor of radiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues assessed the impact…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 23, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 22, 2008 Diagnostic Imaging. Surf the web for your mental health Greg Freiherr Every day, I'm getting better at making tough decisions. I know this because searching the Internet stimulates the parts of my brain that control decision making and complex reasoning. Scientists at the University of California, Los Angeles found this out using functional MRI on computer-savvy middle-aged and older adults while they surfed the web. I extrapolated. Much of my time during the day is spent on…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 22, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 22, 2008 Functional MRI establishes link between brain receptor activation and obesity Kathryn Madden, science administrator, Oregon Research Institute Using brain imaging and chocolate milkshakes, scientists have found that women with weakened "reward circuitry" in their brains are at increased risk of weight gain over time and potential obesity. The risk increases even more for women who also have a gene associated with compromised dopamine signaling in the brain. The results, drawn…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 22, 2008 at 10:30pm —
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October 21, 2008 Obama’s health plan leads McCain’s in website poll John C. Hayes Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's health plan continues to hold a lead over the plan put forth by Republican John McCain in a survey being conducted at DiagnosticImaging.com. As of Oct. 20, the survey had received 231 votes. Obama's plan was favored by 45% and McCain's by 40%. Another 6% favored a different plan, 6% favored no plan, and 3% were undecided. The survey was posted on Oct. 7 and is…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 21, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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October 20, 2008 Simple ultrasound test diagnoses deep venous thrombosis James Brice Simpler is better when it comes to ultrasound applications for detecting deep vein thrombosis of the lower extremities. An Italian study found no significant difference in diagnostic power for this indication between two-point compression ultrasound plus a D-dimer exam and the more complex whole-leg compression ultrasonography. The study was published in the Oct. 8 issue of the Journal of the American Medical…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 20, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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October 17, 2008 Outsourcing is hot; don’t get burned Douglas Page Teleradiology and the outsourcing of imaging studies continue to proliferate, but that doesn't mean they are always the right answer. Questions often arise over risks and rewards related to the practice, and how those risks and rewards vary among different practice models. "Outsourcing is a topic we [radiologists] need to understand well if we are to make informed choices about the future of radiology, our practices, and our own…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 17, 2008 at 11:30pm —
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October 17, 2008 Medical de-identification system addresses health records privacy issues Douglas Page The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act safeguards patient personal health information, but it also tends to complicate medical research by inhibiting access to medical records necessary to develop public health measures. A new medical de-identification tool announced in September by researchers at the Regenstrief Institute at the University of Indiana offers a way around this…
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Added by Diagnostic Imaging on October 17, 2008 at 11:00pm —
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