August 25, 2009
Patient presents with pain and swelling in the lower extremities with skin hardening and thickening
- White House to Hold Physician Health Care Reform Conference Call
The White House will hold a conference call for physicians on health insurance reform, Tuesday, August 25th, 2009 at 8:30PM EST. To participate, use the participant call in Number: 1-800-230-1096. Please email any questions in advance to public@who.eop.gov - Image Gently™ Campaign Expands to Include Interventional Radiology
ACR News Release
The Image Gently™ campaign has developed easily accessible online teaching materials and checklists to help interventional radiology providers use the lowest dose necessary to perform interventional procedures on children. Interventional physicians, medical physicists, and radiologic technologists are encouraged to visit the Image Gently Web site to review these important materials and factor the information into their clinical decision making.
- CMS Proposes to Cover FDG-PET for Initial Staging of Cervical Cancer
ACR Daily News Scan
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced a proposed decision to cover FDG PET for initial staging of cervical cancer, but to exclude coverage for diagnosis of the disease. This proposed decision is consistent with request made by the ACR and the Society of Nuclear Medicine in a joint letter sent to CMS in July 2009. - ACR Guidance on Recent Action Alert: Proposed Equipment Utilization Rate, IDTFs
ACR Daily News Scan
Please see this guidance in response to several questions regarding the ACR August Action Alert e-mailed on Monday, August 10, regarding the proposed equimpent utilization rate change and independent diagnostic testing facilities (IDTFs).
- ACR Chair Thrall Letter to President Obama on Malpractice Reform
ACR Board of Chancellors Chair James H. Thrall, M.D., FACR, recently wrote to President Barack Obama to reiterate ACR's views on the role of medical malpractice reform in the overall health care reform debate. ACR believes that malpractice reform would provide a substantial opportunity to enhance the Administration's objectives of cost containment while improving the overall quality of the health care system. - Medical Imaging Under The Gun In Health-Reform Push
Health-reform moves proposed by the White House and pursued in Congress have largely steered clear of direct hits to the medical-technology sector, with one big exception: medical imaging. ACR Chair Thrall explains to the Wall Street Journal that imaging growth has been confused with overutilization. - Misinformation Regarding ACR Position on Health Care Reform
ACR Daily News Scan
The ACR has not taken a position, for or against, current overall congressional health care reform proposals. The College continues to educate congressional leaders that the imaging and radiation therapy provisions, including a raise in the equipment utilization rate assumption and further cuts to contiguous imaging, are flawed ideas that will ultimately harm patient access to care. - Letter From ACR Chair Thrall: Update on Health Care Reform
ACR Daily News Scan
As Congress adjourns for August recess, ACR Board of Chancellors Chair James H. Thrall, M.D., FACR, provides the following information regarding ACR’s efforts on Capitol Hill. In the House, the three committees with jurisdiction over the health care reform package, HR 3200, have completed their work and passed the bill out of their respective committees. The full House is scheduled to vote on the package when it returns to Washington in September. - Energy and Commerce Committee Mark-Up Comes to a Close: No Self-Referral Amendment Offered
ACR Daily News Scan
The House Energy and Commerce Committee recently passed H.R. 3200, America’s Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 without including a self-referral amendment. Congress may consider the amendment once members return from recess in September.
- ACR Launches Cardiac CT Certificate of Advanced Proficiency Exam
ACR Daily News Scan
On Sept. 9, 2009, the American College of Radiology will offer the inaugural Cardiac CT Certificate of Advanced Proficiency Examination open to all physicians who meet the requisite eligibility requirements and professional experience qualifications. - ACRIN® Fall Meeting Update
ACR Daily News Scan
The 2009 American College of Radiology Imaging Network Fall Meeting is open to all who have an interest in ACRIN's research activities. This year marks ACRIN's 10th anniversary of conducting medical imaging clinical trials and we look forward to your participation as we acknowledge past successes and chart our course to meet future research challenges. - Today on the ACR Blog: Is Radiology Recession-Proof?
As more Americans are feeling the effects of the economy, it should come as no surprise that people are opting out of health care due to costs; but a recent study found that less people have opted out of imaging than other forms of care. Has your practice or hospital experienced any effects from the economy?
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- Lung Expansion After Talc Pleurodesis Does Not Predict Clinical Outcome
Reuters Health
Lung expansion immediately after talc pleurodesis for malignant pleural effusion does not correlate with clinical outcomes, say researchers from Brazil. - Follow-up After Grade 1 Breast Cancer May Not Be Needed
Reuters Health
Women treated for grade 1 breast cancer have a low risk of locoregional recurrence and contralateral breast cancer, results of a study indicate.
- BP Control May Prevent White Matter Lesions
Reuters Health
Diastolic blood pressure reductions might help lower the risk of cerebral white matter lesions in women with hypertension, according to European researchers. - Less Than a Quarter of Incidental Thyroid Lesions Are Cancer
Reuters Health
In patients with incidentally detected thyroid lesions on F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (FDG PET/CT) imaging, the prevalence of malignancy is around 23%, a study suggests. - CT Colonography Not Useful for Triage of Positive Fecal Blood Tests
Reuters Health
CT colonography is not efficient for triage of patients with positive fecal occult blood tests (FOBT), according to research from The Netherlands. - Digital Tomosynthesis Could Reduce Mammography Recalls
Reuters Health
Use of digital breast tomosynthesis along with full-field digital mammography (FFDM) produced a substantial decrease in recall rates, researchers report in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. - U.S. Grants $1.2 Billion for Electronic Health Records
Reuters Health
The U.S. government on Thursday announced grants of almost $1.2 billion to help hospitals and healthcare providers implement and use electronic health records. - Digital Mammography Boosts Breast Cancer Detection
Reuters Health
The switch from film screening to digital mammography has led to an increase in breast cancer detection, researchers from a community-based radiology practice in California report in the August issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology. - Pain in Head and Neck Cancer Patients May Predict Outcomes
Reuters Health
In patients with head and neck cancers, higher levels of post-treatment pain might predict lower survival, according to researchers at the University of Iowa. - PET Testing Reduces Futile Resections for Colorectal Liver Metastases
Reuters Health
Use of 18F-FDG PET imaging can reduce the rate of futile laparotomies in patients with colorectal liver metastases from 45% to 28%, according to a report in the July issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. - RTOG Validates Lysyl Oxidase as a Prognostic Marker for Metastasis and Survival for Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma
RTOG News Release
It is now possible to identify head and neck cancer patients who have a higher risk of developing distant metastases or suffering a relapse according to an early release of new research by Radiation Therapy Oncology Group (RTOG) investigators published online this week and in an upcoming issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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