HHS will soon announce new national health-IT coordinator

Health and Human Services has indicated that the acting National Coordinator for Health IT will be announced Sept. 22. David Brailer, MD, who previously held the spot, made the announcement and indicated that the acting coordinator is an individual that already holds a government position, and because the job requires political and negotiation skills, it was difficult to fill. The new appointment is only expected to last two years when the Bush Administration comes to a close.

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Positron, a New York-based nuclear imaging company, will now provide Upbeat Cardiology Solutions with advanced PET/CT systems and services. 

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.