Industry News

• In The News
  10.26.11

  Industry, Consumer Groups Urge HHS To Implement Sunshine Act Provision

  Industry and consumer groups Oct. 25 urged the Department of Health and Human Services to fully implement the provision in the Physician Payments Sunshine Act requiring the disclosure of payments to physicians and teaching hospitals.

• In The News
  10.25.11

  CT lung screening gets boost by adding COPD sequence

  Low-dose CT lung screening has already demonstrated its effectiveness in reducing mortality from lung cancer. Now, Dutch researchers have found that adding a short sequence to the low-dose CT protocol can help the modality detect chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a study published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

• In The News
  10.25.11

  DBT comparable to spot view for characterizing masses

  Digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) appears comparable to clinical mammographic spot views for breast mass characterization, according to a new study published online in Radiology.

• In The News
  10.24.11

  Medicare’s ACO Final Rule Responds To Provider Concerns, But Leaves Device Industry Dissatisfied

  Although CMS’ newly finalized rule on accountable care organizations has allayed health care providers’ fears of a program too burdensome to bother with, medical device manufacturers remain worried that ACOs will curb patient access to their products.

• In The News
  10.23.11

  Opinion: More, not less, diagnostic imaging needed

  There’s a statement on Congressman Dave Camp’s (R-Midland, website with which I agree wholeheartedly. The congressman wrote, “We cannot cut Medicare by over one-half trillion dollars without hurting seniors.”

• In The News
  10.22.11

  Guest opinion: Don’t reduce Medicare patient access to radiology scans

  Sen. Max Baucus is absolutely right when he says, as he has repeatedly, that there needs to be a crackdown on waste and fraud in the Medicare program. Last year, Medicare wasted $48 billion in improper payment and some say the actual total of misspent dollars might run as high as $100 billion. Sen. Baucus is clearly on the right track.

• In The News
  10.21.11

  HHS Releases Final Regulations For ACOs

  The Obama administration on Thursday bowed to health industry concerns about its plans for Medicare accountable care organizations, making it easier for doctors and hospitals to participate in the program designed to lower medical costs.

• In The News
  10.20.11

  MRI software helps determine future Alzheimer’s risk

  A commercially available software program that automatically quantifies the extent of brain atrophy on MRI scans can help physicians better determine the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), according to a study published online October 12 in Neurology.

• In The News
  10.19.11

  Medical Imaging Advocates Fight Proposals Requiring Advanced Authorization

  As the congressional super committee considers ways to cut Medicare spending, one issue that has been raised is to cut back on imaging services that some experts say are overused by physicians. But an industry study released Tuesday maintains that one tactic that has been suggested — the use of prior authorization for imaging services – doesn’t save money.

• In The News
  10.18.11

  Those Scan Results Are Just an App Away

  EVEN in the vast world of apps, Dr. Patrick J. Gagnon has one with an unusual distinction: it had to be cleared for use by the Food and Drug Administration.