News From Around the Web
> CT scans can be used to diagnose cases of gout that have gone undetected by current testing methods, according to a new study, MedPage Today reported. Needle aspiration is usually used to detect gout, but doesn't work in all cases. In this study out of the Mayo Clinic, researchers determined that dual energy CT detected gout in one-third of patients who had negative results on a needle aspiration test. Article
Health Finance News
> Medicare recovery audit contractors (RACs) denied Medicare providers more than $2 billion in payments in fiscal year 2012, according to a report from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services to Congress. Article
Health IT News
> Radiation device recalls increased substantially over the 10-year period between 2003 and 2012, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's Medical Device Recall Report, released March 21. According to the FDA, many of the recalls had to do with reducing unnecessary radiation exposure, particularly in the period after 2009 that saw increased media and FDA attention paid to the issue. Article
> Hospital CIOs are not happy that lawmakers may push out ICD-10 implementation another year should the Senate approve the latest proposed legislation to delay physician Medicare reimbursement cuts under the sustainable growth rate formula; the House approved the bill in a last-minute voice vote last Thursday. Article
And Finally... Better late than never? Article