NeedsFixing

A 25-year-old woman was referred for routine antenatal scan at 14 weeks, 2 days of pregnancy.

The drive for improved system integration and decreased turnaround time has led to a continuous analysis of procedures and a never-ending cycle of trying to get the work flow to work.

In preparation of RSNA this year I reviewed each of the technical exhibitors. This was over 700 sites and took several days. I reached out to several in advance to meet with them while I am in Chicago. Here are three of my favorites with a focus on the business, financial or billing aspect of imaging.

In imaging there will always be opportunities to innovate on important issues. This industry knowledge that each of us has is valuable. Those crazy ideas you have may seem intuitive to you, but they are not widely known. Take those ideas and do something.

Today burning a CD/DVD and sending them via FedEx or a courier is the most common method to transfer images. Really? If you were not familiar with this method, would you ever think that this is how we transfer information? When we think of what is happening on the consumer side with books, movies and music, we can see it isn't a question of technology or bandwidth.

Everybody has a medical question or a family member who needs help. I’ve gone from being enthralled by these conversations as an eager medical student to becoming concerned about how helpful I am actually being and about how much risk I am exposing myself to.

When I tell people I’m a physician, I feel like I’m at risk. Everybody has a medical question or a family member who needs help.

The Society of Thoracic Radiology will host its 29th annual meeting March 6 to 9, 2011, at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point resort in Bonita Springs, FL. The program committee, headed by Dr. Gerald F. Abbott, has designed a comprehensive course of value to all physicians with an interest in cardiopulmonary disease.

NightShift Radiology, a national on-call teleradiology practice, reports it has passed the two million studies read mark after a decade of service. The milestone reflects the stability of NightShift Radiology in the ever-changing landscape of the teleradiology industry, the company said.

People at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease exhibit a specific structural change in the brain that can be visualized by MRI, a study by neuroscientists at Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center finds. The results may help identify those who would most benefit from early intervention.

Yearly mammograms greatly reduce the risk of mastectomy following breast cancer in women between the ages of 40 and 50, according to a study presented Wednesday at the RSNA meeting.

A new study reports that the use of CT in the nation’s emergency departments is growing exponentially. If the growth trend continues, by 2011, nearly 20% of all emergency department visits may involve a CT exam. The results of this study were presented Monday at the annual meeting of the RSNA.

The use of ultrasound needle guidance improves the performance, outcomes, and cost-effectiveness of knee injections in people with osteoarthritis, according to research presented last week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting in Atlanta.

The National Cancer Institute released initial results from a large-scale clinical trial showing lung cancer screening with low-dose CT reduced mortality by 20% when compared to standard chest x-rays.

Brain MRI could expand the number of stroke patients eligible for a potentially life-saving treatment, according to a new study, published online and in the December issue of Radiology.

Researchers in the radiation oncology department at UCLA’s Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have received a $14 million grant to develop countermeasures that will help treat damage caused by radiological or nuclear threats such as a dirty bomb attack.

University of Utah medical researchers made an important step in diagnosing autism through diffusion tensor imaging, an MR technique that could help healthcare providers identify the problem much earlier in children and lead to improved treatment and outcomes for those with the disorder.

With eight rounds of the American Board of Imaging Informatics exam since its June 2007 debut, 612 individuals have earned the Certified Imaging Informatics Professional designation.

The landmark breast cancer screening study of women 40-49, published online in Cancer, has proven annual mammography screening of women in their 40s reduces the breast cancer death rate in these women by nearly 30%.

From 1998 to 2007, the use of CT or MRI scans in emergency departments for injury-related conditions increased about three-fold without a similar increase in the prevalence of the diagnosis of certain life-threatening trauma-related conditions, according to a study in the October 6 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

On behalf of the Alliance for MRI, Alejandro Cercas MEP, Liz Lynne MEP and Françoise Grossetête MEP invite you to a Drinks Reception with Commissioner László Andor on revising the EMF Directive. The reception will take place Wednesday 29th Sept., from 6.30 to 8.00 p.m. in the European Parliament Members Salon of the Altiero Spinelli Building, European Parliament, at 60 Rue Wiertz, 1050 Brussels.

NYU will hold its first annual Dual-Energy CT Symposium Oct. 9-10 in New York City. The program is designed for radiologists who have or are considering acquiring a dual-energy scanner, research scientists who are looking to understand current uses of dual-energy CT to stimulate development of translational research projects, and technologists who need a basis in dual-energy terminology and concepts.

Diagnostic errors are the most important causes of avoidable harm to patients in hospitals, warns a senior doctor on bmj.com today.

The first round of implementation shows that ‘top-down’ approach needs to give way to greater flexibility and local choice.

Some nuclear-based breast imaging exams may increase a woman’s risk of developing radiation-induced cancer, according to a special report appearing online and in the October issue of Radiology. However, the radiation dose and risk from mammography are very low.

The vacancy rate for radiographers has continued to decline in recent years and is now at 2.1%, according to a staffing survey recently conducted by the American Society of Radiologic Technologists.

A number of radiology practices were able to significantly reduce the radiation dose associated with multislice CT scans by participating in a one-day dose optimization workshop provided by the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Radiologists (RANZCR) and supported by the local state health department, according to a study in the August issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

Royal Philips Electronics announced it has acquired Shanghai Apex Electronics Technology, a leading Chinese manufacturer of ultrasound transducers, key determinants of image quality for ultrasound systems. The acquisition strengthens Philips’ portfolio of high-quality transducers specifically aimed at the value segment in emerging markets.

While the dramatic effects of the economic recession have been felt in the Western European and North American markets for ultrasound imaging equipment, the Chinese market has seen tremendous growth over the last two years. Driven by China’s ongoing healthcare reform, strong economic growth, and the Chinese population’s increasing awareness of healthcare issues, the second edition of InMedica’s study The China Market for Ultrasound Imaging Equipment – 2010 Edition predicts the Chinese market for ultrasound imaging equipment will exceed $1 billion by 2014, growing at a compounded average growth rate of 9.3%.

Algorithms that use iterative reconstruction to eliminate noise in images will have a “profound effect” on CT, according to Stanford radiology professor Dr. Geoffrey Rubin.