News From Around the Web
> The U.K. should institute mandatory MRI imaging as part of an effort to curb the number of spurious whiplash bodily injury claims, according to a report issued by insurer Axa at a briefing for ministers, civil servants and industry experts at Westminster. According to a commentary published in The Telegraph, Britain has been dubbed "the whiplash capital of the world" because of the number of claims that are being made, mostly for seemingly minor injuries. Article
> According to a study in JAMA Internal Medicine, colonoscopies increasingly are performed with the anesthetic propofol, which can add between $600 and $2,000 to the total cost of the procedure. Article
> A misdiagnosis of Alzheimer's disease can result in tens of thousands of dollars in unnecessary medical costs in patients who may actually suffer from vascular dementia or Parkinson's disease, according to a study presented July 17 at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Boston, AuntMinnie.com reported. The findings, the researchers said, could influence policy decisions regarding the reimbursement of diagnostic imaging technologies such as PET that can be used to diagnose potential causes of dementia. Article
Health IT News
> Healthcare IT remains a hot job market, according to a recently released survey by HIMSS Analytics. Of 224 healthcare executives polled, more than 85 percent reported hiring at least one IT employee in 2012; none reported layoffs. Article
Health Finance News
> The House Committee on Financial Services succumbed to pressure by the American Hospital Association and agreed to preserve the federal program that insures hospital mortgages, but will tighten up the requirements. Article
And Finally… Spying is (not) for the birds. Article