The rapid acquisition of images by skilled ultrasonagraphers who use pocket mobile echocardiography yields accurate assessments of ejection fraction, and some, but not all, cardiac structures in many patients, based on a cross-sectional, single-center study published July 4 in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

A U.S. government-sponsored review of trials comparing radiotherapy with no treatment or other forms of radiotherapy has concluded that there is insufficient evidence that patients with localized prostate cancer will benefit from radiation therapy, according to a study published online June 6 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The Department of Justice (DoJ) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have relaxed standards for premerger notification, according to a July 7 release from the DoJ. In an effort to reduce burden and ensure effective rules, the filing form parties must submit when seeking antitrust clearance of proposed mergers and acquisitions under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act was simplified.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has proposed a framework for state-based affordable insurance exchanges, which will enable individuals and small employers to directly compare private health insurance options on the basis of price, quality and other factors.

After performing sequential CT scans within 15 minutes, interpretations by three radiologists revealed that one-third of lung tumor measurements varied by more than 2 mm, while 3 percent of tumors qualified as having progressed within the 15-minute interval, illuminating clinically important inaccuracies in measuring tumor size and progression on CT, opined the authors of a study published online July 5 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

The type of primary insurance patients carry affects outcomes of cardiac valve operations in the U.S., according to a study in the May issue of the Journal of the American College of Surgeons. As a result, the authors suggested that the type of primary insurance should be considered as an independent risk factor during preoperative risk stratification and planning.

Guidelines for breast screening mammography should take into account patient-specific risk factors to garner more cost-effective screening, with payors standing to gain from suggesting markedly less frequent screening for lower-risk women, argued the authors of a study published July 4 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Eight hospitals and ambulatory surgical centers collaborated with the Joint Commission Center for Transforming Healthcare to eliminate wrong-patient, wrong-procedure and wrong-site surgerieswhich some estimates put as high as 40 incidents per week in the U.S.