According to the results of a systematic review published in the April edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine, women treated with therapeutic chest radiation have a substantially elevated risk for breast cancer at a young age, and does not appear to plateau.

A recent article published in the April edition of the Journal of the American College of Radiology discussed a Radiation Passport, an iPhone and iPod Touch application that tracks radiation dose and estimates associated cancer risks.

Thirty-seven U.S. Senators, led by Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, wrote a letter requesting improvements in a proposed rule for distributing stimulus funds for health IT published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to increase flexibility and encourage participation among providers.

"Private practice cardiology will not survive the 2010 CMS Physician Fee Schedule cuts regardless of the healthcare reform legislation, but the passage of this legislation adds the final nail to the coffin." This is just one of the many comments from participants in a survey of more than 300 cardiologists and cardiology professionals conducted in March by MedAxiom, a subscription-based resource provider for cardiology practices.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) did not establish an adequate process or planning procedure for a project that examined the use of recovery audit contractors (RACs) to identify improper Medicare payments and recoup overpayments, according to a March report issued by the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO).

Between 2006 and 2008, more than 958,000 patient safety events occurred involving Medicare beneficiaries, soaking up nearly $8.9 billion in excess costs. If facilities focused on better performance measures, an estimated 218,572 of these events, accounting for $2.1 billion in excess costs, could potentially be avoided, according to the seventh annual HealthGrades study on patient safety.

Voice recognition services developer Nuance Communications has appointed Janet Dillione as executive vice president and general manager of Nuances Healthcare business segment.

A number of healthcare organizations are urging Congress to pass legislation to stop a 21 percent cut in physician payments for Medicare that is scheduled to go into effect today. Meanwhile, in a replay of the situation that took place a month ago, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has instructed contractors to hold Medicare claims for the first 10 business days in April in order to give Congress time to pass legislation.