News From Around the Web
> San Antonio-based imaging technology company Seno Medical Instruments says that research indicates that its opto-acoustic tool could help improve the process of diagnosing breast cancer by helping physicians rule out the need for biopsies in patients with benign breast masses. Article
> The use of novel MRI designs, such as open panoramic or short-bore MRI scanners, don't help much in reducing patient claustrophobia, according to a study in PLOS ONE. "The present study in high-risk patients demonstrated claustrophobia precluding MR imaging in more than 25 percent of examinations despite using scanner designs expected to lower the rate of claustrophobic events," wrote researchers, led by Judith Enders, MD, from the department of radiology at Humboldt University in Berlin, Germany. Article
> A study published online in Molecular Psychiatry has found that PET imaging using Florbetapir (18F)--tradename Amyvid--to identify beta-amyloid plaque build up in the brain, can be used to detect early evidence of Alzheimer's disease. "Our research found that healthy adults and those with mild memory loss who have a positive scan for these plaques have a much faster rate of decline on memory, language and reasoning over three years," lead author P. Murali Doraiswamy, M.D., a professor of psychiatry and director of the neurocognitive disorders program at Duke, said. Article
Health IT News
> The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Health Information Trust Alliance (HITRUST) have announced they will be conducting monthly threat briefings, starting in April, in an expansion of industry cyber threat preparedness and education efforts. Article
Health Finance News
> The 25 hospitals throughout Florida designated as trauma centers routinely charge patients tens of thousands of dollars more than facilities without similar designations, the Tampa Bay Times reported. In one instance, a hospital in Fort Pierce, Fla. charged Eric Leonhard a "trauma fee" of nearly $33,000, even though clinicians didn't render any treatment and transferred him to another hospital in under an hour, the newspaper reported. Another trauma center hospital charged a patient a similar fee for treatment for superficial cuts. Article
And Finally... Taste great, but really less filling. Article