An electronic message sent to physicians the moment they ordered a blood test for elderly patients reduced unnecessary use of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism testing that commonly produce false-positive results for the elderly, according to a paper published in the November edition of American Journal of Managed Care.

Health IT company Epocrates has teamed up with Covisint, a Compuware company, to help medical professionals receive reimbursements from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) program.

Katherine Ball, MD, has been named CMIO for Mountain States Health Alliance--a nonprofit healthcare organization in Johnson City, Tenn.--as well as chief medical officer for Sycamore Shoals Hospital in Elizabethton, Tenn., and Johnson County Community Hospital in Mountain City, Tenn.

TeraRecon (Booth 1611) is displaying iNtuition's new Cloud capabilities, allowing imaging professionals to access 3D images as a browser-accessible, internet-hosted subscription service, at the annual conference of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) in Chicago, Nov. 27 to Dec. 3.

Launched in April, the iPad continues to make waves across the world. Technophiles, teenagers and grandmas alike love the iPad, which has been touted as the tool to mobilize business users. Apple has sold about 8 million, with many physicians among those who have been bitten by the iPad bug.

Over the last two decades, PACS has grown from a bleeding edge technology that delivered a massive productivity bang as sites transitioned from film to digital image management to a mature, commoditized system.

The Indiana Attorney Generals office has filed a lawsuit against Indianapolis-based WellPoint, claiming the health insurance provider didn't notify customers or the Attorney Generals office in a timely manner following a data breach earlier this year affecting more than 32,000 people.

Until recently, geography defined access to healthcare. Still, those of us who reside in rural communities contend with reduced access to cutting-edge medicine. For diagnostic imaging, when a clinician recommends an advanced study or the traditional option is unavailable, patients are left with several options: make a long trip to the nearest academic medical center or forego the study. Even in this rapidly evolving healthcare environment, the proper care isnt always flowing to the patient.