Better management of X-ray radiation doses starts with recording and tracking each exposure patients receive. Dose tracking has come to the forefront of medicine in recent years with the realization that medical imaging has doubled the public’s exposure to ionizing radiation since the 1980s, largely due to the rapid expansion of computed tomography (CT) and minimally invasive procedures guided by angiography.

Advancements in technologies are paving the way for many healthcare providers to connect with patients outside their hospitals more quickly and efficiently. For cardiology departments, technologies that allow for video collaboration, rapid transmission of scans and images and other forms of telemedicine are supporting the initiative to improve productivity, an initiative many are striving for as the U.S. healthcare landscape continues reform.

The topic of radiation safety and radiation dose monitoring has moved from state-specific regulations to a national trend with The Joint Commission’s (TJCs) recent announcement of their “New and Revised Diagnostic Imaging Standards.” The call for dose management and tracking has graduated from being advised to being mandated – from both a legal perspective and from within the world of healthcare’s patient safety foundation. The question that many organizations find themselves asking is “Where does this leave me?” and “Are we prepared for compliance?”

Digital mammography screening with photon-counting technique offers high diagnostic performance, according to a study published online in the journal Radiology. As mammography screening has shifted to digital technology, a range of computed radiography (CR) and direct radiography (DR) systems have emerged. The photon-counting technique is a DR approach that uses a detector to decrease scattered radiation and noise, enabling dose reduction.

The average age of installed MRI scanners in the United States has increased from 8.7 years in 2010 to 11.4 years in 2013, according to a new market research report by IMV Medical Information Division.

GlobalMed’s CapSure Cloud application can eliminate a second radiation dose by making an initial CT scan available to all healthcare providers involved in a patient’s care. Once the images are uploaded to the secure cloud imaging server from the originating hospital, the sign-on information can be shared with specialists at the receiving hospital so they can view the study. In emergency cases, this means the team at the receiving hospital can be prepared for the patient’s arrival and go directly to the OR.