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.

Data from the Intersocietal Commission for the Accreditation of Nuclear Medicine Laboratories suggest that while non-compliance with reporting standards is found in the majority of U.S. nuclear cardiology laboratories, facilities that participate in the accreditation process demonstrate an increase in compliance over time. The retrospective study was published online June 19 in the Journal of Nuclear Cardiology.

Brooke Radiology Associates of Richmond, British Columbia, has converted four clinics to digital imaging with Carestream Healths DRX-1 and CR systems.

Support for the variety of accountable care organizations (ACOs) from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been storied, according to an article published in the July edition of Health Affairs.

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.

Hurley Medical Center, of Flint, Mich., has reported that a laptop computer went missing from the hospitals pulmonary unit in mid-May. The computers hard drive contained 1,938 patients birth dates, heights, weights, pulmonary test results and other medical details over a four-year period, according to a July 6 press release on the medical center's website.

Researchers continue to make headway in grasping the biological nature of Alzheimers disease, with a recent study discovering significant increases in the beta-amyloid uptake of florbetapir F18 as viewed on PET, published July 11 in the Archives of Neurology.