News From Around the Web
> A study has determined that using low-dose CT scans to screen heavy smokers for lung cancer will benefit those with the highest risks. These risk factors include lengthy smoking history, family history of lung cancer and other lung diseases. According to the study, published in the July 18 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, 60 percent of smokers in the highest-risk group accounted for 88 of the lives saved by screening. Article
> Applying ultrasound vibrations to the brain may affect mood, offering the possibility of new treatments for psychological and psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety, according to a recent PsychCentral post. Researchers from the University of Arizona reported their findings in the journal Brain Stimulation. Article
> A combination of memory tests and brain imaging may help identify Alzheimer's disease before symptoms actually appear, when measures to slow the disease process may work best. Dorene M. Rentz, an associate professor of neurology at Harvard Medical School, Boston, reported the study findings at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference 2013 in Boston, Medscape Medical News reported. Article
Health Finance News
> Healthcare prices are rising at the lowest rate in nearly a quarter century, according to a new study by the Altarum Institute's Center for Sustainable Health Spending, and it may be the lowest rate of all time. Article
Health IT News
> Vendor selection and technology adoption are two of the biggest challenges for providers looking to implement telehealth at their facilities, according to Erin Denholm, CEO at Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Centura Health at Home, the post-acute care division of 15-hospital Centura Health. Article
And Finally… If you're paranoid about bugs eating your brain, this story isn't for you. Article