News From Around the Web
> The use of breast tomosynthesis after screening mammography resulted in a reduced need for ultrasound studies, fewer biopsies and a higher positive predictive value for cancer than diagnostic exams using 2-D mammography, according to research presented last week at the meeting of the American Roentgen Ray Society. Announcement
> The Minnesota House of Representatives last week passed a breast-density bill that requires medical professionals to notify female patients with dense breast tissue about their increased risk of breast cancer, according to the Grand Rapids Herald-Review. The bill now goes to the Minnesota senate. Currently, 15 states have breast density notification laws in place. Article
Health IT News
> An Indiana hospital relied on best practices and technology to avoid spreading the deadly MERS virus while treating the first reported case in the United States. When a man who had traveled to Saudi Arabia arrived at the 427-bed Community Hospital in Munster, Indiana with symptoms of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)--severe fever, cough and shortness of breath--three technologies helped the hospital identify everyone who came in contact with him. Article
Health Finance News
> Hospital-acquired and owned oncology practices contribute to the ever-rising costs for cancer drugs, according to a new report issued by the IMS Institute for Healthcare Informatics. More than 40 percent of U.S. oncologists are now in practices of seven or more physicians, up from just 29 percent in 2012, an increase attributed to hospital and hospital system acquisition of physician practices. Article
And Finally... Boy meets truck and lives to tell the tale. Article