AngioDynamics has released the new StarBurst XLi-Enhanced Semi-Flex probe, a radiofrequency ablation device designed to deliver a 4-7 cm ablation of a tumor in a single placement during CT-aided procedures.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released the review copy of the 2010 Hospital Outpatient Prospective Payment System (HOPPS) proposed rule on July 1. According to the American College of Radiology, several of the CMS proposals in this document, if approved, will affect the practice of both radiology and radiation oncology.

After enrolling in Medicare Part D, seniors who previously had limited or no drug coverage spent more on prescriptions and less on other medical care services such as hospitalizations and visits to the doctor's office, according to a study published in the July 2 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Beatrice M. Heghmann, RN, has filed a class action lawsuit against Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, White House Office of Health Reform Director Nancy-Ann Deparle and Administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Charlene Frizzera, alleging the Stimulus Act's health IT stipulations unconstitutionally violate the HIPAA privacy rule, Privacy Act and Federal Common Law.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a 21.5 percent rate reduction for the 2010 calendar year to more than one million physicians and non-physician practitioners who are paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule.

Savings of $332 billion in U.S. healthcare expenditures could be achieved over the next decade by making better use of technology and streamlining administrative processes, according to a report by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform and Modernization.

Pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia is curable without preventive cranial radiation by personalizing chemotherapy, which can improve the cure rate and avoid the use of radiation in acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment, according to findings in the June 25 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives unveiled their healthcare reform legislation Friday, calling for a 75 percent increase in the equipment utilization rate and an increase of 25 to 50 percent in the reduction of the technical component of imaging for multiple procedures.