Medical Imaging

Physicians utilize medical imaging to see inside the body to diagnose and treat patients. This includes computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), X-ray, ultrasound, fluoroscopy, angiography,  and the nuclear imaging modalities of PET and SPECT. 

Nuance to extend clinical language technology

Nuance Communications, a Burlington, Mass.-based company specializing in speech-enabled clinical documentation, has developed a technology called CLU (Clinical Language Understanding).

AJR: Pre-op CT decreases negative appendectomy in both sexes

Negative appendectomy rates can be decreased with the use of preoperative CT in adult men and women, according to a study published in the October issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. While preoperative CT has been used commonly to reduce the number of negative appendectomies, research has been split over whether or not both sexes benefit from the procedure.

CMS solicits payors for primary care effort

The Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation Center has set in motion its new initiative, the Comprehensive Primary Care (CPC) effort, a multi-payor initiative fostering collaboration between public and private healthcare payors for primary care. The Innovation Center now is accepting letters of intent from public and private healthcare payors for the initiative.

Award to recognize best practices in quality, economics

Health Imaging, AHRA and Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA) are seeking to recognize five practices with a $1,000 cash award for Best Practices in Radiology Quality and Economics.

Joint Commission offers guidance on reducing UTIs

A new "R3 Report" from the Joint Commission (JC) offers hospitals information on ways to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infections (UTIs) in hospitals.

18 early EHR adopters in Georgia net $6.4M in grants

Eighteen Georgia healthcare providers are the first in the state to receive payments from the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program being administered by the Georgia Department of Community Health Office of Health IT.

Patient care: Too much or too little?

While procedures have become more precise and cardiovascular outcomes have improved, we still see cases of stenting and imaging overuse as well as cases of diagnostic procedures being underutilized. These instances force the questionhow much care is too much or too little?

AAOS guideline rejects post-op ultrasound to screen for clots

The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) has updated its clinical practice guideline to reduce the likelihood of blood clots after hip or knee replacement surgery, procedures that more than 800,000 Americans undergo each year. The new guideline advises against routinely screening patients after surgery using ultrasound imaging and suggests use of preventive treatments.

Around the web

Clinicians have been using HeartSee to diagnose and treat coronary artery disease since the technology first debuted back in 2018. These latest updates, set to automatically roll out to existing users, are designed to improve diagnostic performance and user access.

The cardiac technologies clinicians use for CVD evaluations have changed significantly in recent years, according to a new analysis of CMS data. While some modalities are on the rise, others are being utilized much less than ever before.

The new guidelines were designed to ensure sonographers and other members of the heart team have the information they need to screen patients when appropriate and identify early warnings signs of PH.