Mens options for contraception have typically been limited to condoms or vasectomy, but research published January 30 in Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology touted the potential of another male contraceptive: therapeutic ultrasound.

With the growth of cardiac imaging, there has been heightened concern about the resulting increased exposure to ionizing radiation. Andrew J. Einstein, MD, PhD, of Columbia University Medical Center and New York-Presbyterian Hospital in New York City, outlined the currently available research on radiation exposure in cardiac imaging in the Feb. 7 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology and concluded that while strong data specifically addressing the risks of cancer from cardiac imaging dont exist, increased risks can be projected from studies involving similar levels of radiation exposure.

Despite his belief that implementation of ICD-10 is a costly endeavor with no expected benefits, thought leader John Halamka, MD, CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), CIO at Harvard Medical School, both in Boston, is helping his facility move forward and posted on his blog Jan. 31 two tools to help other facilities with the project.

The FDA has approved Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly's Jentadueto (linagliptin/metformin hydrochloride) tablets, a new tablet combining the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor, linagliptin and metformin.

With the exception of liver metastases, whole-body imaging of estrogen receptor (ER) expression with 18F-FES, an ER-specific PET tracer, can be a valuable additional diagnostic tool when standard work-up is inconclusive, particularly in breast cancer patients, according to a study published in the February issue of the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.

Results from an analysis of 7,900 providers who have opted out of Medicare between 1998 and March 2011 by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Servicess (HHS) Office of Inspector General showed that not enough data were available regarding the physicians who opted out of Medicare to conduct a proper evaluation.

The FDAs Center for Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) has released its ombudsman report for 2011, the first year the offices electronic tracking system has been used to facilitate record-keeping and trending.

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) is informing practitioners who are subject to the 2012 e-prescribing penalty that they should have already received notification from their Medicare contractor of their failure to meet the requirements for avoiding the 2012 e-prescribing payment adjustment.