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Beaconology for beginners: A chat with ONC's Aaron McKethan

Web Exclusives | Tuesday, September 07 2010
Written by Jeff Byers
The ability to transform healthcare delivery at the community level requires information and tools for both consumers and providers—not one or the other, said Aaron McKethan, program director for the Beacon Community Program under the Office for the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). McKethan discussed "Beaconology," an informal term used by ONC to describe the basics of the Beacon Program, in an exclusive interview yesterday.
 

Report: Radiology may face supply gap in coming decade

Top Stories | Tuesday, September 07 2010
Demand for radiologists is expected to exceed supply by 8 to 16 percent over the next 10 years, according to a report by physician recruitment firm LocumTenens.com.
 

Mass. audit reveals cash burden of unnecessary imaging

Top Stories | Friday, September 03 2010
Massachusetts State Auditor Joe DeNucci has reported that the state's Medicaid program, MassHealth, may be losing millions of dollars due to unnecessary advanced imaging services, such as CT and MRI exams.
 

USPSTF urged to reconsider CTC recommendations

Industry News | Wednesday, September 01 2010
The CT Colonography (CTC) Coalition has called on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to reconsider its recommendation regarding virtual colorectal cancer screening, following the statement issued by the task force maintaining that further research is still required to make a conclusive recommendation regarding CTC.
 

Cancer: Initial prostate cancer treatment decisions affect long-term costs

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, September 01 2010
The cost patterns of prostate cancer treatment can vary widely based on initial treatment choice, and treatments that may be less expensive in the short-term may have higher long-term costs, according to a study published online Aug. 23 in Cancer.
 

HHS tags $32M for rural healthcare programs

Industry News | Tuesday, August 24 2010
Kathleen Sebelius, secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has granted more than $32 million in fiscal year 2010 funds to increase access to healthcare for Americans living in rural areas.
 

CMS issues guidance for state Medicaid IT implementation

Top Stories | Monday, August 23 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is providing guidance for state Medicaid directors and agencies regarding the implementation of CMS’ final regulations to allow the payment of incentives to eligible professionals and hospitals to promote the adoption and meaningful use of certified EHR technology.
 

Report: Reminder systems reduce rate of catheter infections by half

Industry News | Tuesday, August 17 2010
Reminder systems that encourage hospital staff to remove urinary catheters promptly can reduce the rate of catheter-associated urinary tract infections by 52 percent, according to research published in Clinical Infectious Diseases.
 

Report: Health insurance exchanges get mixed reviews

Industry News | Monday, August 16 2010
Retirees have mixed opinions about health insurance exchanges, according to research from Extend Health.

 
 

CMS webinar: Eligible professionals can expect EHR incentives in 2011

Web Exclusives | Tuesday, August 10 2010
Written by Gina Narcisi
Funding incentives for EHR use is the main goal of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services' (CMS) meaningful use initiative, and there are incentive programs for both hospitals and eligible professionals, according to Elizabeth Holland, health insurance specialist at the Department of Health and Human Services, who spoke during a CMS-sponsored webinar Aug. 8.
 

CMS amends restriction of ‘only one’ FDG PET scan for certain tumors

Top Stories | Sunday, August 08 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a decision memo stating that the national coverage determination manual will be changed to remove the current absolute restriction of coverage to ‘only one’ FDG PET scan, and local Medicare administrative contractors will have discretion to cover (or not cover) any additional FDG PET scan for initial treatment strategy in solid tumors and myeloma.
 

CARE bill for medical radiation, imaging services introduced

Top Stories | Friday, August 06 2010
The Consistency, Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence (CARE) in Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy bill (S. 3737) was introduced in the U.S. Senate last week for the establishment of minimum education and credentialing standards for personnel who plan and deliver radiation therapy treatments and medical imaging services as part of the Medicare program.
 

DataGen lands three contracts

Contracts & Installations | Friday, August 06 2010
Maryland Hospital Association (MHA) and two multi-state hospital systems will purchase DataGen’s healthcare data analytics and services. Along with MHA, Catholic Health Initiatives and Hospital Sisters Health System join DataGen’s client community.
 

Study: Near-infrared fluorescence imaging can evaluate lymphatic response

Clinical Studies | Thursday, August 05 2010
Near-infrared fluorescence imaging may be useful to evaluate lymphatic response to pneumatic compression devices therapy in breast cancer survivors, according to a study published in the inaugural issue of Biomedical Optics Express.
 

N.Y. payor invests $1M for medical home initiative

Industry News | Tuesday, August 03 2010
CDPHP, a physician-founded health plan based in Albany, N.Y., will invest $1 million to compensate 21 primary care and pediatric practices for participating in the second phase of the healthcare plan’s patient-centered medical home initiative.
 

McKesson's Q1 income up 3%

Financial News | Sunday, August 01 2010
McKesson has reported that revenues for the first fiscal quarter, which ended June 30, were $27.5 billion compared to $26.7 billion a year ago.
 

CMS cuts hospital payments by 2.9%

Top Stories | Saturday, July 31 2010
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a prospective payment system final rule for fiscal year 2011 for acute-care and long-term care hospitals that would decrease average inpatient payments by 0.4 percent.
 

mHealth: Infrastructure-independent care is path to cutting chronic disease costs

Conference News | Thursday, July 29 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
BOSTON--Most stakeholders agree that the current U.S. model of healthcare is unsustainable, said keynote speaker Joseph Smith, MD, PhD, chief medical and science officer at West Wireless Health Institute in La Jolla, Calif., during his remarks at the World Congress Second Annual Leadership Summit on mHealth July 29.
 

NEJM: SGR formula may be lose-lose situation

Top Stories | Wednesday, July 28 2010
After Congress yet again suspended the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula for another six months, Henry J. Aaron, PhD, of the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., called the formula's target “unrealistic,” saying that favorable alternatives to the formula are lacking, but may arise from healthcare reform. In an editorial published July 29 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Aaron called into question the usefulness of the SGR formula that was first enacted in 1998 for the purpose of restricting physician fees.
 

CMS, ONC kick off EHR incentives training program

Web Exclusives | Sunday, July 25 2010
Written by Mary Stevens
“We’re beginning a revolution the way information is collected, managed, used and purposed for patients in the U.S. healthcare system,” said David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, in opening remarks at an audioconference training session on meaningful use and EHR certification last week.
 
Web Exclusives

Feature: Tort reform may curb non-indicated imaging

Physicians in states with medical liability tort reform laws ordered fewer imaging studies for emergency patients with mild-moderate head trauma, according to a study published July 13 in the online edition of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Beaconology for beginners: A chat with ONC's Aaron McKethan

The ability to transform healthcare delivery at the community level requires information and tools for both consumers and providers—not one or the other, said Aaron McKethan, program director for the Beacon Community Program under the Office for the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). McKethan discussed "Beaconology," an informal term used by ONC to describe the basics of the Beacon Program, in an exclusive interview yesterday.

Feature: Early a.m. rad shift expedites communication of urgent findings

An early morning radiologist shift can expedite the communication of urgent findings and improve patient care, according to a study in this month's Journal of the American College of Radiology. “The Joint Commission and the ACR have emphasized the importance of improved communication, particularly of critical test results, for better patient care,” Rathachai Kaewlai, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, shared with Health Imaging News.

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.

SMU nets nearly $600K to study ultrasound in bone strength assessment

Southern Methodist University (SMU) in Dallas has received a $596,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Neurological Disorders and Stroke Institute to study the role of ultrasound in determining the effects of radiation on bone.

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