CMIOs have transformed the U.S. health IT system, and healthcare professionals have gone from oblivion to engagement with medical informatics. A recognized specialty has been formed and included in mainstream medical education. Now, young physicians interested in medical informatics careers also are playing an important role.

Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) remains an underdiagnosed problem in the medical community. Interventional cardiologists are in a unique position to diagnose, treat, and spread awareness about this disease. As practitioners continue to expand their services to include vascular and endovascular components, it is critical to recognize the key components for building a successful and reputable PAD program: Expertise, Commitment, Collaboration, and Quality. After you become comfortable performing and managing more complex PAD lesions, you could begin to incorporate critical limb ischemia (CLI) into your program.

Balloon-expandable stents are meant to help reduce the rates of restenosis by preventing elastic recoiling post-PCI; however, a study published in the Nov. 17 issue of the Journal of Interventional Cardiology found that these types of stents may be poorly designed and actually could lead to adverse clinical outcomes.

The FDA has approved a new spinal implant produced by Miamisburg, Ohio-based manufacturer X-spine. 

The Obama Administration announced Nov. 14 that $1 billion of healthcare reform funds will go toward innovation programs aimed at creating new jobs, improving patient care and reducing healthcare costs. Three days later, Rick Gilfillan, MD, acting director of the 14-month-old Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Innovation Center, provided details on how healthcare IT professionals can claim a piece of the pie for their respective institutions.

The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB), part of the National Institute of Health, will host a competition for undergraduate students to design and develop new diagnostic and therapeutic devices, as well as new technologies to help underserved communities and the disabled.

Radcal (booth 3705) is partnering with Dresden, Germany-based VacuTec to release the Dose Area Product (DAP) meters, VacuDAP, in North America. The Monrovia, Calif.-based manufacturer is displaying the product at the 97th Annual Meeting & Scientific Assembly of the RSNA, Nov. 27 to Dec. 2, in Chicago.

In a Nov. 15 letter to members of Congress, Consumers Union urged reauthorization of the Medical Device User Fee Actcurrently set to expire Sept. 30, 2012and outlined ways to improve oversight of medical device clearance processes. The letter appeared Tuesday morning prior to a meeting of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee on medical devices.