TOP STORIES

Chalk River reactor restart delayed

Saturday, July 31 2010
Atomic Energy of Canada Limited has reported that during the fuel reloading of the National Research Universal reactor at Chalk River, Ontario, a specific set of reactor instrumentation, important to safe operation, was not responding and replacement of the instrumentation is estimated to add 10 to 15 days beyond the planned return-to-service date of July 31.

Double-digit imaging & IT growth propels Siemens Healthcare's Q3

Friday, July 30 2010
Siemens AG today reported a EUR118 million ($153.7 million U.S.) increase in net income, with an overall revenue gain of 4 percent, partly driven by strong healthcare unit revenue, which increased 10 percent year-over-year with contributions from all divisions in the fiscal 2010 third quarter, compared with the previous year’s third quarter.

HIT Standards Committee: Interoperability standards become clearer

Thursday, July 29 2010
Certification standards have been clarified in the meaningful use final rule, and when possible, standards allow “flow-through” from meaningful use requirements, said Doug Fridsma, MD, PhD, acting director of the Office of Interoperability and Standards at the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), speaking at the July 27 HIT Standards Committee meeting.

NEJM: SGR formula may be lose-lose situation

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.
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Feature: Nuc med community urges senator to lift 'hold' on isotope bill

SNM, the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology, the American College of Cardiology and a coalition of medical and national security organizations have urged Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond, R-Mo., to lift a "hold" on the American Medical Isotope Production Act (H.R. 3276), and permit a vote by the U.S. Senate, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives by a vote of 400-17. Several radiologists and nuclear medicine specialists spoke to their concerns if the U.S. continues to rely on foreign sources for medical isotopes.

CMS, ONC kick off EHR incentives training program

“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.

Radiology: Mammo CAD, double reading each have advantages; neither infallible

Single mammography reading with computer-aided detection (CAD) and double reading yielded similar cancer detection rates; however, each reading regimen helped radiologists detect cancers missed by the other, according to the CADET II study published in the August issue of Radiology.

CMIOs give meaningful use mixed reviews (Part Two in Two-Part Series)

In Part 1 of our closer look at the final rules for meaningful use and EHR certification standards, CMIO’s Jeff Byers spoke with David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT. In Part 2, CMIOs weigh in with mixed reviews.

Blumenthal exclusive: Meaningful use is ‘one-time offer’ (Part One of Two-Part Series)

As everyone gets a closer look at the final rule for meaningful use and EHR certification requirements, CMIO spoke with David Blumenthal, MD, chair of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC), and with CMIOs who will be charged with making it happen. In Part One of our two-part series, CMIO’s Jeff Byers spoke with Blumenthal about some of the ramifications of the final rule, and what's expected for Stage 2 and beyond.

Glaser Video: What CMIOs and CIOs should be discussing now

The framework for meaningful use is “something that had to be done and has been started intelligently,” John P. Glaser, PhD, vice president and CIO of Partners HealthCare System told CMIO. However, the challenges of becoming meaningful users and optimizing health information exchange will require unprecedented levels of communication within organizations and among healthcare systems, he said.

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Georgia hospital selects Digisonics’ cardiology management system

Contracts & Installations | Friday, July 30 2010
Meadows Regional Medical Center in Vidalia, Ga., has installed Digisonics’ image management and structured reporting system for cardiology, the DigiView CVIS/PACS.

Siemens lands multiple ultrasound installs at U.K. facility

Contracts & Installations | Friday, July 30 2010
Siemens Healthcare has installed three Aucson S2000 portable ultrasound systems at the nonprofit London Clinic in England.

Imaging project launched to study central nervous system

Industry News | Friday, July 30 2010
The European Nanoelectronics Initiative Advisory Council (ENIAC) and partners have launched a three-year project aimed at advancing medical 3D imaging platforms by focusing on the diagnosis and therapy of serious diseases of the central nervous system and brain, titled, “CSI: Central Nervous System Imaging.”

HHS allots $51 million for state health insurance exchanges

Industry News | Friday, July 30 2010
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has made available $51 million in grants to help states begin work to establish health insurance exchanges.

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

Conference News | Thursday, July 29 2010
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.

ScImage integrates PACS with Philips' ultrasound technology

| Thursday, July 29 2010
ScImage has upgraded its PACS, PicomEnterprise PACS, now offering integration to Philips Healthcare’s QLAB 2D and 3D ultrasound image processing software.

Cedars-Sinai cancer institute to utilize tumor tracking system

Contracts & Installations | Thursday, July 29 2010
The Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles has employed a tumor monitoring system from Calypso Medical Technologies, which is approved for use in radiation therapy for prostate cancer patients.

Carestream's digital x-ray selected by Boston facility

Contracts & Installations | Thursday, July 29 2010
Carestream Health’s digital x-ray technology has been selected by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston for use in its ambulatory care and outpatient facilities.

NDS Surgical Imaging releases surgical visualization platform

New Products | Thursday, July 29 2010
NDS Surgical Imaging has released its next-generation visualization and informatics platform—the ConnectOR G2.

Alliance Oncology expands into Arkansas with rad onc group

Mergers & Acquisitions | Thursday, July 29 2010
Alliance Oncology, a division of Alliance HealthCare Services, has completed its acquisition of Little Rock, Ark.-based Arkansas Cancer Institute's radiation oncology unit via mergers and acquisitions firm, the Woodbridge Group.

Cegedim acquires Swiss business unit of IMS Health

Mergers & Acquisitions | Thursday, July 29 2010
Cegedim has acquired the Switzerland-based customer relationship management and direct marketing business unit of IMS Health, which will complement its Swiss CRM and direct marketing offerings. Financial details were not disclosed.

IDS releases Reforma 3.0 barcode forms manager

New Products | Thursday, July 29 2010
Integrated Document Solutions (IDS) has released Reforma 3.0 bar-coded forms management system.

Trapeze supports N.H. facility with wireless network

Contracts & Installations | Thursday, July 29 2010
Trapeze Networks has expanded its Trapeze wireless LAN technology to Concord Hospital, a regional medical center in Concord, N.H., to boost mobile wi-fi capabilities for end-to-end quality of service.

AJR: Cone-Beam CT is beneficial adjunct to mammo

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Cone-beam breast CT can be used to image the entire breast with sufficient spatial and contrast resolution for the detection of masses and calcifications at a radiation dose within the range of conventional mammography, found a study published in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology.

HIT Standards Committee: Meaningful use enters operations phase

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
The final rule for Stage 1 meaningful use has been published in the Federal Register, marking “the end of just one part of the first cycle that is the first stage of meaningful use,” said Karen Trudel, deputy director of the Office of E-Health Standards & Services at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, speaking at the July 27 meeting of the Health IT Standards Committee. “We’re moving away from a totally completely a policy development process to one that is a mixture of policy and operations,” she said.

JASE: Two studies find carotid ultrasound bests Framingham risk scores

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Screening young to middle-aged patients for carotid plaque or carotid intima-media thickness is likely to uncover cardiovascular risk in patients with a low Framingham risk score. In addition, carotid ultrasound proved better than a coronary artery calcium score via CT to predict risk, according to two studies in the August issue of the Journal of the American Society of Echocardiography.

HIT Standards Committee: Don’t fix what isn’t broken

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Since the last HIT Policy & Standards Committee Enrollment Workgroup update, three workgroup meetings have been held and four tiger teams have been activated around privacy and security and in keeping with the think-big-but-start-small principle, said Aneesh Chopra, chair and chief technology officer of the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

SRS, Ingenix align on practice management, EHR technologies

Partnerships & Alliances | Wednesday, July 28 2010
SRS and Ingenix have formed a partnership to expand clinical, financial and administrative operations options for SRS’ customers.

JAMA: Medical home model can boost patient safety

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
The patient-centered medical home model can potentially address many current safety concerns in primary care, wrote Mark Graber, MD, of Stony Brook University Medical Center in New York, and Hardeep Singh, MD, of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, in a commentary published in the July 28 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

HIT Standards Committee: Clinical Quality Workgroup to emerge from hibernation?

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
The Clinical Quality Workgroup of the Health IT Standards Committee under the Department of Health and Human Services is now in a “hibernation period," said Janet Corrigan, MD, chair and president of the National Quality Forum, speaking at the HIT Standards Committee's July meeting.

HealthGrades may be bought for $294M

Mergers & Acquisitions | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Vestar Capital Partners has signed a definitive agreement for an affiliate of Vestar to acquire all of the outstanding shares of HealthGrades, an independent healthcare ratings company, for approximately $294 million (which consists of approximately 35.9 million shares).

ImaCor selects new pres, CEO Pellerito

Executive Announcements | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Cardiac IT company ImaCor has announced that Peter Pellerito has been named new president and CEO.

AHIMA names Sheridan as president

Executive Announcements | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Patty Thierry Sheridan, MBA, has been elected president of the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Philips buys Chinese ultrasound transducer maker

Mergers & Acquisitions | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Royal Philips Electronics has acquired Shanghai Apex Electronics Technology, a manufacturer of ultrasound transducers, based in Shanghai, China, in order for Philips to increase its portfolio of transducers aimed at the emerging markets.

Toshiba, SCCT issue young investigator awards

Industry News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) and Toshiba America Medical Systems have announced the recipients of the fourth annual Young Investigator Award at the SCCT’s 2010 annual scientific meeting in Las Vegas earlier this month.

Study: Younger women may have lower breast tumor detectability

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Age-specific differences in mammographic screening can contribute to lower detectability and differences in tumor growth rates, according to a study published online July 27 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

AIM: Childhood cancer survival may lead to later cardiac dysfunction

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Along with an increased risk of mortality, pediatric patients who survive childhood cancer may also have have an increased risk of long-term abnormal cardiac function, according to a study published July 26 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Intuit combines Medfusion, Quicken Health Group

Executive Announcements | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Intuit has transformed its healthcare business by combining newly acquired Medfusion with its Quicken Health Group to create a new business unit called Intuit Health. Based in Cary, N.C., the group provides online connected services to healthcare settings.

Redspin extends HIPAA security assessment to healthcare industry

New Products | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Security technology company Redspin is now offering an additional HIPAA security assessment service for the healthcare industry segment, addressing requirements of the HIPAA security rule and the HITECH Act through a risk-based approach.

FDA green lights AirStrip smartphone patient monitoring tool

Regulatory News | Wednesday, July 28 2010
AirStrip Technologies has received FDA clearance to market the AirStrip remote patient monitoring (RPM) tool, including AirStrip RPM Critical Care and AirStrip RPM Cardiology.

PNAS: Biophotonic imaging reveals real-time cell death changes

Clinical Studies | Wednesday, July 28 2010
Scientists have developed a biophotonic imaging approach for studying the molecular organization and its transformation in cellular processes, with the specific example of apoptosis, according to a study published July 20 in Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences.

AJR: FDG PET/CT useful in evaluation of T-cell lymphomas

Clinical Studies | Tuesday, July 27 2010
FDG PET/CT should be part of primary staging in patients with T-cell lymphoma and may potentially change disease stage and patient management, according to a study published in the August issue of American Journal of Roentgenology.

MRI & CT usage varies across Canada, while scanner adoption jumps

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The number of operational CT and MRI scanners has grown considerably during the past five years, but the numbers of the imaging studies conducted vary significantly across the Canadian provinces, according to a report released by the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) last week.

Danish University conducts workshop for radioisotope producers

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
Isotope producers are attending the 13th workshop on "Targetry and Target Chemistry”  held from July 25-28 at Risoe National Laboratory for Sustainable Energy, Technical University of Denmark.

Aperio nets patent for digital slide viewing

Regulatory News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued digital pathology company Aperio Technologies patent No. 7,738,688 entitled, “System and Method for Viewing Virtual Slides.”

ASTRO names ABR president as honorary member

Executive Announcements | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has named N. Reed Dunnick, MD, as its 2010 honorary member, which is the highest honor the society bestows upon distinguished cancer researchers and leaders in disciplines other than radiation oncology, radiation physics or radiobiology.

Insight acquires eight Southwest imaging centers

Mergers & Acquisitions | Tuesday, July 27 2010
Diagnostic imaging provider Insight Imaging has completed the previously announced acquisitions of eight imaging centers in the areas of Phoenix, El Paso, Texas and Las Cruces, New Mexico.

Spyglass: Physician smartphone usage on the rise, along with concerns

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
Ninety-four percent of physicians are using smartphones to communicate, manage personal and business workflows and access medical information, according to a report from Spyglass Consulting Group. This represents a significant increase from Spyglass’ findings in a similar study published in November 2006 in which 59 percent of physicians reported using smartphones.

Ingenix, A-Life combine coding tech for Georgia provider

Contracts & Installations | Tuesday, July 27 2010
Gwinnett Health System in Lawrenceville, Ga., has selected computer-assisted coding technology from Ingenix and A-Life Medical to improve its coding process.

Report: OEM manufacturers lose market share, replaced by ISOs

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
Independent service organizations (ISO) will increase their U.S. market share over the next few years, while original equipment manufacturers (OEM), which currently hold a dominant share in the market, may witness a drop-off due to tight budgets for radiology departments, according to a report from Millennium Research Group.

University of Michigan Health Systems plans Epic transition

Contracts & Installations | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The University of Michigan Health System (UMHS) in Ann Arbor, Mich., has signed a contract with Epic Systems to become the primary vendor for clinical software and systems at UMHS for the first stage of a multi-year effort that will involve computing and clinical staff to transform the use of IT at UMHS.

Shared Health taps Neece for COO

Executive Announcements | Tuesday, July 27 2010
Health IT company Shared Health has named Justin L. Neece, MBA, its chief operating officer.

CCHIT launches specialized EHR certification programs

Industry News | Tuesday, July 27 2010
The Certification Commission for Health Information Technology (CCHIT) has launched new certification programs for EHRs in behavioral health, both as an optional addition to ambulatory EHR certification and as a stand-alone behavioral health EHR used in other outpatient settings.

athenahealth notches solid gains for Q2

Financial News | Monday, July 26 2010
athenahealth, a developer of web-based practice management, EHR and patient communication services to medical groups, has posted financial and operational gains for the second quarter of fiscal year 2010, which ended June 30.

EBM: Fluorescent + MRI sensitive nanoprobes help to image tumor angiogenesis

Clinical Studies | Monday, July 26 2010
Integrin-specific, fluorescent super paramagnetic nanoprobes are capable of noninvasively visualizing and quantifying the blood vessel growth in tumors in a preclinical model, offering opportunities for early detection of solid tumors and non-invasive post-therapy assessment of antiangiogenic drugs, according to a study published in the August issue of Experimental Biology and Medicine.

AHRQ releases state snapshots of healthcare data, with insurance data

Industry News | Monday, July 26 2010
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) annual release of state-by-state health quality data has been expanded to include new data on health insurance. The additional data are intended to provide information on healthcare quality categorized by source of payment, including private insurance, Medicare, Medicaid and those without insurance.

CCHIT applies for ONC certification, accreditation status

Industry News | Monday, July 26 2010
The Certification Commission for Health IT (CCHIT) submitted an application to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) to become an authorized testing and certification body last week.

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