While some argue that physician-industry relationships may be laced with bias and potentially create conflicts of interest, the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) argued that if done correctly, these relationships can help improve clinical practice, according to an executive summary on continuing medical education (CME) published March 1 in the European Heart Journal.

Providing personal mobile computers to medical residents increases efficiency, reduces delays in patient care and enhances continuity of care, according to a research letter in the March 12 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Head CT use is highly variable between emergency physicians, even those within the same department. Strategies to reduce such variation, including evidence-based knowledge delivery systems at the time of ordering, may reduce cost and improve quality of care, according to a study published in the April issue of The American Journal of Medicine.

Patient-centered care may work as a conceptual solution to concerns with quality and cost of healthcare, but it sacrifices providers autonomy, patients arent positioned to make cost-conscious decisions and it may still be costly, Charles L. Bardes, MD, wrote in the March 1 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

The Institute for Advanced Medical Education (IAME) is hosting a symposium "Managing the Incidentaloma," which is geared to radiologists, and will explore the most common incidental findings physicians make.

Technological improvements in image acquisition and software processing in nuclear cardiology should allow physicians to shave patient imaging times dramatically or cut radiation doses fourfold, according to a new preferred practice statement from the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC).

Residency training requirements in competencies related to radiology business practice and healthcare policy have been in place for more than a decade. However, despite the perceived importance of such competencies, curricula addressing these items still seem to be in a stage of acceptance and development, with further commitment and innovation needed, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Nemours Childrens Hospital in Orlando, Fla., which is scheduled to open in October, will use Software AGs webMethods Integration Server and webMethods Business Processing Management Suite to connect standalone communications and IT systems.