Designed for physicians and researchers involved in brain PET imaging of dementia, this refresher course explores the role of various modalities in the diagnosis and work-up of dementia. Speakers also will discuss new radiotracers for amyloid imaging.

Nine percent of healthcare providers are over the halfway point in terms of being fully prepared for ICD-10, according to a report from market researcher KLAS.

Physicians are all about smartphones, embracing them en masse. Adoption rates hover anywhere from 72 percent (Manhattan Research, Taking the Pulse, May 2010) to 94 percent (Spyglass Consulting Group, Point of Care Communications for Physicians, July 2010). The numbers, however, dont tell the full story, because adoption does not necessarily equate to robust clinical use. At this stage, there are a few killer apps, but true integration into the clinical practice of medicine and the meat of clinical workflow, a.k.a. the EHR, remains a work in progress.

Following the U.S. Department of Health and Humans Services (HHS) issuance of the final rule Oct. 20 for establishing accountable care organizations (ACOs), the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) has outlined its criticisms of the initiative in a statement released the same day.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC) has added the position of principal deputy in an effort to to more effectively meet the mission outlined by the Health IT for Economic and Clinical Health Act, part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 [ARRA].

Barco, a healthcare imaging technology company based in Kortrijk, Belgium, has launched Coronis Fusion 4MP DL, a 30-inch diagnostic color display.

University of California Davis Health System, PETNet Solutions and Northern California PET Imaging Center will partner to establish a facility on the universitys Sacramento campus for research and training in radiochemistry and for the commercial production of radiopharmaceutical products used in PET scans.

Personalized care aims to deliver effective treatment tailored to an individuals clinical, molecular and genetic profile. It could be a magic bullet that cures the woes of healthcare by providing more accurate, effective therapy (and by default, reducing the use of treatments that are likely to be ineffective), and thus better targeting, and potentially trimming, overall costs.