The use of 3-D echo can help improve the accuracy and reproducibility of cardiac quantification. The technology has the advantage of removing the inter-operator variability by imaging whole volume datasets of the heart, so specific images or organ views can be extracted and reconstructed in any position, similar to CT or MRI datasets. Also, because a volumetric dataset is captured, exam times can be shortened, instead of spending time trying to get just the right angle for a 2-D slice view. Cardiac quantification can also be improved by measuring the entire heart or ventricle, rather than just slices of it. New software also automates this quantification.

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies issued its report, “Delivering High-Quality Cancer Care: Charting a News Course for a System in Crisis.” The 315-page report, produced by a 17-member committee of cancer care leaders, concludes that the nation’s “cancer care delivery system is in crisis. Care is not patient-centered, many patients do not receive palliative care to manage their symptoms and side effects from treatment, and decisions about care often are not based on the latest scientific evidence.” In addition, the report details a six-part framework for improving the quality of cancer care, improving “the quality of life and outcomes for people facing a cancer diagnosis.”