Feature: Disclosing seemingly harmless adverse events

For large-scale adverse events affecting tens or thousands of patients, is disclosure ethical if patients are unlikely to have been physically harmed by the event but could be harmed psychologically by the disclosure? Cardiovascular Business News spoke with the lead author of a recent study examining the ethics of reporting events.

Feature: Tort reform may curb non-indicated imaging

Physicians in states with medical liability tort reform laws ordered fewer imaging studies for emergency patients with mild-moderate head trauma, according to a study published July 13 in the online edition of the American Journal of Emergency Medicine.

Beaconology for beginners: A chat with ONC's Aaron McKethan

The ability to transform healthcare delivery at the community level requires information and tools for both consumers and providers—not one or the other, said Aaron McKethan, program director for the Beacon Community Program under the Office for the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC). McKethan discussed "Beaconology," an informal term used by ONC to describe the basics of the Beacon Program, in an exclusive interview yesterday.

Feature: Early a.m. rad shift expedites communication of urgent findings

An early morning radiologist shift can expedite the communication of urgent findings and improve patient care, according to a study in this month's Journal of the American College of Radiology. “The Joint Commission and the ACR have emphasized the importance of improved communication, particularly of critical test results, for better patient care,” Rathachai Kaewlai, MD, of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, shared with Health Imaging News.

Feature: U.S. needs national strategy to curb imaging overutilization

Medical imaging overutilization--a growing concern in the U.S.--exposes patients to unnecessary radiation, while also adding to rising healthcare costs, according to a study published online Aug. 24 in Radiology. In an interview, William R. Hendee, PhD, lead author, reviewed various methods by which medical imaging could be curtailed.

Radiology: Prelim study shows CE breast CT outperforms CT, mammo

Dedicated contrast-enhanced (CE) breast CT delivered significantly improved conspicuity of malignant breast lesions, including ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), compared with unenhanced breast CT and mammography, according to a study published in the September issue of Radiology.