April 12, 2007 - Engineers at the Johns Hopkins Urology Robotics Lab recently reported the invention of its PneuStep, an MRI-safe motor that does not require the use of metal or electricity and can safely power remote-controlled robotic medical devices used for cancer biopsies and therapies guided by magnetic resonance imaging.

April 12, 2007 - In the first published nationwide survey of state Medicaid programs on "pay-for-performance" practices, more than half of all programs state that they provide financial incentives to health care providers for better quality care. Almost 85 percent of states plan to have pay-for-performance programs within five years. Researchers also found that most current programs focus on women's, children's and adolescents' health issues. The study is published today by The Commonwealth Fund, a private foundation working toward a high-performance health system.

April 12, 2007 - Merge Healthcare, a medical imaging software and services provider, announced that it will showcase its recently-released Merge Mammo version 7.0, multi-modality, vendor-neutral digital mammography workstation applications, at the 8th Postgraduate Course of the Society of Breast Imaging, April 14-17, 2007 in Hollywood, Florida.

April 12, 2007 – Toshiba America Medical Systems Inc.’s Aquilion beta 256, a scanner that is reportedly able to measure subtle changes in blood flow or minute blockages forming in blood vessels no bigger than the average width of a toothpick in the heart and brain, was recently installed at a U.S. university medical center for three months of safety and clinical testing.