News From Around the Web
> CT scans may be too good at finding pulmonary embolisms, according to a study in the journal BMJ. According to the study, CT pulmonary angiography has also led to overdiagnosis of benign emboli that can lead to unnecessary treatment. Such overdiagnosis, the researchers said, can lead to complications from anticoagulation and unnecessary medical costs from unnecessary procedures, as well as making patients unduly anxious from those procedures and treatments, MedPage Today reported. Article
> Nevada and Oregon have become the latest states to pass breast density notification laws, both of which go into effect Jan. 1, 2014, DOTmed News reported. Another state, Alabama, recently passed the Breast Cancer Patient Education Act, which includes a breast density notification component. That law goes into effect August. 1. Thirty-eight percent of U.S. women now live in states where density notification is required, according to JoAnn Pushkin, co-founder of D.E.N.S.E. (Density Education National Survivors' Effort). Article
> Radiologist Mark Idstrom is accusing his former partners at a Kansas City radiology group of operating an illegal price fixing scheme, according to the Kansas City Business Journal. The suit, filed in May of 2012, was amended recently to include a charge that Idstrom's partners also conspired to kick him out of the practice before a planned merger so that they could receive larger payouts. Article
Health IT News
> Patients are enthusiastic about using online portals to manage their medications, but more features and functionality are necessary to maximize medication management and adherence, according to a study published this week in the Journal of Medical Internet Research. Article
Health Finance News
> The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has issued a proposed rule that would cut payments to home health-based providers starting next year, although hospital-based operators would fare slightly better under the rule. Article
And Finally… A whale of a ride. Article