Computerized decision support systems (CDSS) are believed to reduce healthcare costs while enhancing patient care, but a new research study determined that the implementation of a CDSS to treat patients with type II diabetes was too expensive for the health improvements associated with it.

A perpetual problem for hospitals and manufacturers alike, alarm hazards have topped ECRI Institutes list of the ten most vexing health technology hazards for 2012.

Spinal bleeding is found often in young children who are victims of abusive trauma, according to a study published online Nov. 8 in Radiology. The findings support performing complete spine imaging for children undergoing a brain MRI for moderate or severe traumatic brain injury and suggest a pathway for distinguishing between abusive and accidental injury.

Modern medical education emphasizes the value of the randomized, controlled trial, and physicians learn early not to rely on anecdotal evidence. However, the application of such superior evidence can be constrained by trials' strict inclusion and exclusion criteria or the complete absence of a relevant trial, according to a perspective paper published Nov. 2  in the New England Journal of Medicine.

GE Healthcare and University of Iowa Health Care will collaborate on ultra-high field MRI to study brain disorders.

The balance between the business side of healthcare and quality of patient care is challenging for U.S. physicians, according to a survey from Wolters Kluwer Health, conducted in August. Eighty-eight percent of respondents cited finding this balance as a challenge but most have seen improvements in efficiency and quality over the past two years. Forty-two percent of physicians disagree that the efficiency of providing care has increased, however, and 37 percent disagree that quality of care has increased during this timeframe.

Monrovia, Calif-based Radcal will distribute medical imaging phantoms in the U.S. produced by England-based Leeds Test Objects, according to an agreement announced Nov. 1.

Interoperability between medical devices holds the promise of presenting more patient data and more accurate patient data, delivered in near real time. The end result could be better care at lower cost. These were among the points of discussion at the CE-IT Communitys first town hall meeting, held Nov. 1 and convened by the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society and American College of Clinical Engineering.