Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Radiology for March 2014. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
CDC: Invasive Cancer Diagnoses Down Slightly in 2010
FRIDAY, March 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cancer incidence declined from 2009 to 2010, according to a report published in the March 28 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Coronary CT Angiography IDs Cardiac Allograft Vasculopathy
FRIDAY, March 28, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Noninvasive coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is a reliable alternative to coronary angiography for detection of cardiac allograft vasculopathy (CAV), according to a meta-analysis published online March 26 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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NCHS Estimates Health Insurance Coverage for 2013
THURSDAY, March 27, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- In the first nine months of 2013, 6.7 percent of children and 20.5 percent of adults were uninsured, according to a study published online March 27 by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
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White House Extends Affordable Care Act Enrollment Deadline
WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Americans who've started applying for health insurance under the Affordable Care Act but can't complete the process by the March 31 enrollment deadline will be given an extension.
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Interactive Phone Messages May Promote Cancer Screening
WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Underserved Latina patients view interactive voice response (IVR) messages as an acceptable strategy to promote cancer screening, according to a study published online March 13 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
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AMA Introduces Medical Education Initiative
WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The American Medical Association's (AMA) Accelerating Change in Education initiative is being introduced in 11 medical schools in an effort to shift the focus of education toward real-world practice and competency assessment, according to an AMA report.
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Americans Seem Unprepared for Health Insurance Exchanges
WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Individuals in the United States seem not to be sufficiently informed about the health insurance exchanges established by the Affordable Care Act (ACA), according to a study published online March 24 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Guidance Updated for Sentinel Node Biopsy in Breast Cancer
WEDNESDAY, March 26, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The American Society of Clinical Oncology has updated its clinical practice guideline on the use of sentinel node biopsy (SNB) in early breast cancer. The updated guideline was published online March 24 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Nuclear Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Use Down, 2006-2011
TUESDAY, March 25, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nuclear myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) use declined from 2006 through 2011, although there was also a significant drop in myocardial infarction (MI) incidence over that time, according to a research letter published in the March 26 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Cervical Spine Clearance Protocols Vary Considerably
MONDAY, March 24, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Cervical spine clearance protocols for level-1 trauma centers are highly variable, according to a study published in the March 1 issue of Spine.
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Practices Can Take Steps to Improve Care Transitions
FRIDAY, March 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of a rigorous process can improve transitions of care, according to an article published March 10 in Medical Economics.
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Age-Adjusted D-Dimer Levels Aid Pulmonary Embolism Dx
FRIDAY, March 21, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Age-adjusted levels of D-dimer safely exclude pulmonary embolism (PE) in older patients, according to a study published in the March 19 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Post-Mastectomy Radiation Beneficial With 1 to 3 Nodes
THURSDAY, March 20, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For women with breast cancer and one to three positive lymph nodes, radiotherapy is beneficial after mastectomy and axillary dissection, according to a study published online March 19 in The Lancet.
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CT Scans Can ID Gemcitabine Response in Pancreatic Cancer
WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Transport properties identified on routine computed tomography (CT) scans correlate with clinically relevant end points for patients with pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) who receive preoperative gemcitabine chemoradiotherapy, according to a study published online March 10 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
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Neuroimaging Ordered for >12 Percent of Headaches
WEDNESDAY, March 19, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Neuroimaging is frequently ordered for patients with headache, according to a research letter published online March 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Insurers Must Offer Same-Sex Couples Spousal Benefits
MONDAY, March 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Health plans that offer benefits for heterosexual couples must do the same for same-sex married couples, the Obama administration says.
Other Health Highlights: March 17, 2014
Rx Expenditures Expected to Rise in 2014
MONDAY, March 17, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Drug costs are projected to rise 3 to 5 percent across all care settings in 2014, according to a study published in the March 15 issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy.
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Improving EHR Interoperability Is a National Priority: HHS
FRIDAY, March 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Interoperability of electronic health record (EHR) systems is a national priority of the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, according to an article published March 4 in Medical Economics.
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Stereotactic Body Radiation Less Costly, More Toxic Than IMRT
FRIDAY, March 14, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For Medicare beneficiaries with prostate cancer, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is less expensive than intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT), but is associated with more genitourinary toxicity, according to a study published online March 10 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.
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Repeat Spine Imaging Frequent With Injured Patient Transfers
THURSDAY, March 13, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There is a substantially high rate of repeat spine imaging when patients with known spinal injuries are transferred from an outside hospital (OSH) to a tertiary receiving institution (RI), according to a study published in the Feb. 15 issue of Spine.
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Prehospital Stroke Alerts Speed Door-to-CT Times
WEDNESDAY, March 12, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Emergency medical services (EMS) prenotification regarding the arrival of patients who have had a stroke allows patients to bypass the emergency department and undergo computed tomography (CT) in a timely manner, according to a study published in the March issue of Neurosurgery.
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White House: More Than Four Million Have Signed Up for ACA
TUESDAY, March 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- More than four million Americans have signed up for health coverage through state and federal insurance marketplaces established by the Affordable Care Act, the Obama administration announced Tuesday.
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Discrepancies ID'd in Studies on ClinicalTrials.gov, Journals
TUESDAY, March 11, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Nearly all clinical trials reported on ClinicalTrials.gov and published in high-impact journals report at least one discrepancy in cohort, intervention, or results, according to a research letter published in the March 12 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Keeping Salaries Secret Harms Worker Performance
MONDAY, March 10, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Keeping salaries secret hurts worker performance and increases turnover of top talent, according to a study published online Jan. 13 in the Academy of Management Journal.
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AMA Grants Curriculum Efforts to Address Health Disparities
FRIDAY, March 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Medical schools are beginning to change their curriculum to address ways to eliminate health disparities, according to the American Medical Association (AMA).
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MRI IDs Vulnerable Carotid Plaque Characteristics
FRIDAY, March 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) aids in cardiovascular disease prediction by identifying vulnerable carotid plaque characteristics, according to a study published online March 4 in Radiology.
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Gender Gap Exists in Domestic Duties of Working Physicians
FRIDAY, March 7, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Gender differences exist in domestic activities among career-oriented academic physicians with children, according to a study published online March 3 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Relative Value Units Useful In Evaluating Practice Finances
THURSDAY, March 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- The Relative Value Unit (RVU) is a useful tool for managing practice finances, according to an article published Feb. 25 in Medical Economics.
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Drop in Compensation Gap for Primary Care Docs, Specialists
THURSDAY, March 6, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- From 2012 to 2013, there was a 5.7 percent increase in the median total cash compensation for primary care physicians, with a smaller gap seen for medical and surgical specialists, according to the results of a recent survey from SullivanCotter.
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Cancer Preventive Services Below Healthy People Targets
WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Rates of cancer screening and provider counseling are currently below the Healthy People (HP) 2020 targets, according to a study published Feb. 27 in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Preventing Chronic Disease.
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WHO Program Improves U.S. Medical Facility Hand Hygiene
WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- For U.S. health care facilities, participation in the World Health Organization (WHO) global campaign to improve hand hygiene practices is associated with improved hand hygiene, according to a study published in the March issue of the American Journal of Infection Control.
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Gap in Regulatory Coverage Affects 5 to 16 Percent of Trials
WEDNESDAY, March 5, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Human subjects protections (HSP) policies do not provide regulatory coverage for all clinical trials, while up to about a quarter of trials are considered overlap trials, according to a research letter published in the March 5 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Women-Specific Research Is Still Inadequate
MONDAY, March 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- Women are still underrepresented in medical science and research, and sex differences are often ignored, according to a report published March 3 by the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
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CMS: No More Delays to ICD-10 Implementation Deadline
MONDAY, March 3, 2014 (HealthDay News) -- There will be no more delays to the Oct. 1, 2014, deadline for implementation of the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10), according to an article published Feb. 27 in Medical Economics.
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