News From Around the Web
> While CT has become a modality of choice for the detection of appendicitis because of its specificity and high sensitivity, that comes at a cost--a fairly high level of radiation exposure. But researchers report in the journal Pediatrics that the use of ultrasound followed by MRI on children with suspected acute appendicitis is just as diagnostically accurate as CT. Article
> Interventional radiologists have come up with a new way of accessing women's fibroids that is more comfortable and beneficial to patients. In this new approach, instead of delivering treatment directly to the fibroid by threading a catheter through a women's femoral artery, interventional radiologists threaded the catheter through one of two arteries in a woman's left wrist. Announcement
Health IT News
> Rhode Island Hospital in Providence appears poised to become the first hospital in the nation to test Google Glass for real-time emergency room care. In a six-month pilot that began last week, the hospital will use the tool to stream live images of patient medical conditions to remote consulting specialists. In particular, the pilot will focus on ER patients with skin conditions who agree to participate in the study. Article
Health Finance News
> Hospital drug costs will likely rise between 3 and 5 percent this year, according to data from the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. A new report, "National Trends in Prescription Drug Expenditures and Projections for 2014," projects drug expenditures in the healthcare settings will also increase 3 to 5 percent. That compares with a decrease of 0.7 percent in the prior year ending last Sept. 30. Hospital drug expenditures will go up 1 to 3 percent in 2014. Article
And Finally... Better late than never. Article