The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is working closely with stakeholders across the healthcare industry to provide support in transitioning to version 10 of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD), including an online resource. CMS will officially transition from ICD-9 to ICD-10 on Oct. 1, 2015.

Using complex computational algorithms based on repeated sampling, a University of Arkansas graduate student helped spearhead a project to develop a computer simulator that provides customized electron beam tunings for radiation therapy. The research will help cancer centers provide better radiation therapy.

Volpara, VolparaAnalytics, VolparaDensity, mammography, pressure, study

Calculating and tracking mammographic compression pressure could help standardize mammography quality and patient experience, according to a study published in the European Jorunal of Radiology (EJR).

A study being presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual scientific meeting says 3-D printing could become a powerful tool in customizing interventional radiology treatments to individual patient needs.

ScImage announced the immediate availability and deployment of updated quantification metrics based on guidelines published jointly in January 2015 by the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) and the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI).

In 1934, a Senate committee opened hearings its chairman said would show that America’s involvement in WWI was “not a matter of national honor and national defense, but a matter of profit for the few.” Ninety-three hearings and 200 witnesses, however, did little to support that claim. Rather the hearings drew increased attention to arms manufacturers as “merchants of death” and inspired Congress to pass three neutrality acts that signaled “profound American opposition to overseas involvement” in the years preceding America’s entry into WWII.[1] 

Despite its small size, Gritman Medical Center, a 25-bed hospital in Moscow, Idaho, has a reputation for thinking big, especially when it comes to women’s health. That’s why in May 2014 the hospital became the very first facility in the region to install a Hologic 3D mammography system and began to offer breast tomosynthesis services to its patients. The addition of the Hologic system represents a significant capital investment for the hospital, especially since they decided from the start not to charge women an additional fee for 3D mammograms. “3D was not a financial decision, it was a decision based upon what is the right thing to do for the women we serve,” noted Christin Reisenauer, M.D., director of imaging at the hospital’s Patricia J. Kempthorne Women’s Imaging Center. “We knew we were missing breast cancers with 2D mammography, cancers potentially visible with breast tomosynthesis, and that just wasn’t fair to the women of our area.” 

Advocating Breast Density
Advocating Breast Density
Advocating Breast Density

Breast density may be one of the strongest predictors of the failure of mammography to detect cancer, according to an educational session presented at the 2014 Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) conference in December. The topic of breast density was a prominent one at the meeting, and many healthcare providers are beginning to look beyond just using traditional mammography to assess whether or not a woman has breast cancer. The push for additional screening is becoming prevalent, and many states are enacting laws that require women to be notified if they have dense breast tissue and what that means in terms of the ability to accurately find cancer.

It’s no surprise to state that healthcare technology has been slow to mature. However, much of this perception has come from lack of a greater picture; the proverbial “forest for the trees.” No longer is radiology defined as a siloed infrastructure or walled-off service line catering only to physicians utilizing the platform, but it is now considered the transactional hub of services driving a consumer-based healthcare product. Although reimbursement and organizational strategies have driven much of the recent evolution, consumer awareness and attention to healthcare costs are pushing a demand for greater visibility into the mechanisms of healthcare. 
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