Mailed reminders to patients appear to promote colon cancer screening, according to a report in the Feb. 23 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine. In addition, electronic reminders to physicians appear to increase screening among patients with more frequent primary care visits.

Cigna has ceased its use of the discredited Ingenix databases and partnered with N.Y. Attorney General Andrew M. Cuomo to create an independent not-for-profit organization to administer a new database that will determine charges for covered care from doctors outside its network.

PinnacleHealth of Harrisburg, Pa., has installed Allocades On-Cue system, alongsidea recently installed Aquilion One Dynamic Volume CT from Toshiba America Medical Systems.

Agfa HealthCare has completed the deployment of its Impax HeartStation electrocardiogram (ECG) management system at the National Heart Centre in Singapore.

The American College of Radiology (ACR), in conjunction with the American Academy of Neurology (AAN), is seeking comments on eight performance measures developed for epilepsy.

Healthcare, like most of the U.S. economy, is at a crossroads. In order to prosper in an environment of increasing constraints and controlled costs, while feeding the need to enhance quality and outcomes, more proficient use of information technology (IT) in healthcare is needed.

Community hospitals that add new clinical services to better meet local needs can garner multiple benefits ranging including improved patient care and increased revenue. This month, Health Imaging & IT visits a pair of community hospitals that added new service lines to their portfolio to better meet local needs. Their business models provide a sound roadmap for other sites.

The halcyon days of ensured financial success simply by virtue of being the community hospitals radiology department are a thing of the past. Market pressures from independent imaging centers, other medical specialties utilization of imaging modalities, and targeted reimbursement cuts for imaging procedures from government and private payors require radiology departments to aggressively compete for patients.