News From Around the Web
> In response to last year's Hurricane Sandy, MRI manufacturers such as GE, Siemens and Hitachi are offering monitoring technology that can control hospital MRI systems remotely, DOTmed News reported. This is important because MRI machines are particularly vulnerable to power outages caused by large storms since they can increase a system's helium boil-off rate and possibly lead to a magnet quench. Article
> Radiology residents are as effective as attending radiologists at teaching medical students about radiology, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Consequently, according to David Naeger, M.D., and colleagues from the University of California, San Francisco, medical schools should considering adding more residents as teachers, AuntMinnie.com reported. Article
> Patients with terminal cancer who receive a single session of radiotherapy get just as much pain relief as those who receive multiple treatments, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association. "Increased use of single fraction treatment would achieve the Holy Grail of health reform, which is real improvements in patient care at substantial cost savings," said lead author, Justin E. Bekelman, M.D., an assistant professor of Radiation Oncology in Penn Medicine's Abramson Cancer Center. Yet so far, he notes, "despite the evidence, single fraction treatment is used rarely and it's reserved for patients with the poorest prognosis." Announcement
Health Finance News
> More than two dozen states have yet to expand their Medicaid programs as part of their Affordable Care Act, citing the cost involved. But a new report says they will have to pony up anyway. The report by the Kaiser Commission on Medicaid and the Uninsured concluded that nationwide Medicaid enrollment will rise an average of 9 percent next year. However, even in holdout states, enrollment is projected to rise by as much as 5 percent. The report said outreach campaigns meant to heighten awareness about the ACA means many people eligible for Medicaid under the pre-ACA guidelines but not enrolled will take the plunge. Article
Health IT News
> Health payers are putting more stock in the effectiveness of big data and analytics tools than their provider counterparts, according to a new report published by Framingham, Mass.-based research and consulting firm IDC Health Insights. Article
And Finally... You think you have it bad, this guy was hit by a train. Article