Radiology lags in physician recruitment requests; Repeated exposure to head and neck CT leads to cataracts;

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> Radiology--once the hottest specialty in terms of physician recruitment requests--has now dropped out of the top 20, according to the healthcare research firm Merritt Hawkins' "2013 Review of Physician and Advanced Practitioner Recruiting." Truncated report (.pdf)

> Repeated exposure to head and neck CT scans is significantly associated with an increased incidence of cataracts, according to a study published recently in the American Journal of Roentgenology. In the study, the researchers found that the risk of developing cataracts gradually grew as the frequency of CT scans increased. For one or two scans, the incidence was 0.79 percent; for three or four scans, it was 0.93 percent; and for five or more scans, it was 1.45 percent. Abstract

> The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta wants to outlaw private diagnostic imaging because it allows affluent patients the opportunity to get preferential access to imaging services, the Edmonton Journal reported. "We don't think you should be able to buy an MRI or CT scan privately," college registrar Trevor Theman said. "It should all be a publicly funded service." Article

Health IT News

> The federal government spent at least $1.3 billion over the last four years on a joint electronic health record system, yet so far remains unable to fully share health records between the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Defense, according to an investigation. Article

Health Finance News

> Hospitals in some regions of the country have undergone a recent building boom, renovating, expanding or building new facilities, but it's come with a price--higher interest payments. According to Crain's Chicago Business, three hospitals in the region that have recently been on a building binge say the cost of servicing their debt has gone up. Article

And Finally... A little too fishy. Article