Industry analyst firm NanoMarkets today announced the launch of its newest report of the radiation detection market.  The report titled “Markets for Radiation Detection Equipment” predicts that the radiation detector is projected to grow from $25 billion (USD) in 2013 to $33 billion in 2020.  Despite the gloomy forecasts for the world’s economic engines, most of the markets that employ radiation detection equipment are experiencing and will experience growth above that projected in the macro forecasts.

Milliman released its 2013 Milliman Medical Index (MMI) and reported healthcare costs for the typical family of four in the U.S. reached $22,030, a 6.3 increase over 2012. To put the costs in perspective, Milliman noted total healthcare costs are on par with college tuition at an in-state public school.

The lack of price and quality transparency in U.S. healthcare has fueled spiraling costs but has not promoted quality care. A pair of experts proposed a transparency initiative under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to achieve high quality and cost control. They made the case for their proposal May 27 in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Certain imperatives are occasionally drowned out in the clamor about healthcare spending and funding. Take, for example, the need for improved value. If we could squeeze additional value out of our healthcare spending, the U.S. might mitigate some of its woes. Several studies published this week underscored the point.

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists will donate $10,000 to the American Red Cross to assist with disaster relief efforts in central Oklahoma following tornadoes there May 19 and 20. The donation is on behalf of the ASRT’s 151,000 members.

Cancer patients are more than twice as likely to file for bankruptcy than people without cancer, according to a study of Washington state patients published in the May issue of Health Affairs.

Late last month, stories circulated that the list of potential buyers for Carestream Health, which was being auctioned by Onex, was quickly shrinking. Now, reports are the list has gone from shrinking to nonexistent, as Onex has called off the auction.

Use of IMRT to treat prostate cancer, which carries a reimbursement rate approximately 50 percent higher than conformal radiotherapy, skyrocketed from zero in 2000 to 82.1 percent in 2009 among postprostatectomy patients. Despite the swift uptake, IMRT may not provide morbidity benefits among these patients, according to a study published online May 20 in JAMA Internal Medicine.