Precision Medicine

Also called personalized medicine, this evolving field makes use of an individual’s genes, lifestyle, environment and other factors to identify unique disease risks and guide treatment decision-making.

FCC expands broadband investment for health IT up to $400M

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) will expand investment in broadband for medically underserved communities across the U.S. 

Integration tools' place in meaningful use

If data will move healthcare forward, integration tools will move the data. As the first wave of meaningful use analysis builds and breaks, system interoperability and integration tools have newly defined importance in the final rules. The spotlight will be on healthcare data and how those are used, and gathering that data and delivering it in a useful, (meaningful) way begins with devices.

Siemens gains FDA clearance for urinary tract imaging technology

Siemens Healthcare now is offering a new multi-functional workstation for urology, the Uroskop Omnia, which has just received FDA clearance.

iCAD to release new MRI product suite

Image analysis technology provider iCAD has combined several of its offerings to create a new MRI product suite for cancer detection, staging, localization, treatment planning and serial monitoring of the breast, prostate and other organs.

CCI: BioSTAR ASD device could find home in certain pediatric patients

A bioabsorbable atrial septal defect (ASD) repair implant (BioSTAR, NMT Medical) has proved comparable to the Amplatzer Septal Occluder (ASO, AGA Medical) in children, but the BioSTAR was associated with longer procedure times, according to a study published in the July issue of Catheterization and Cardiovascular Interventions.

AAPM: CT perfusion shows early tumor vascular changes after radiotherapy

PHILADELPHIACT perfusion assessment of rectal cancer after hypofractionated radiotherapy correlated well with FDG-PET assessment and showed an increased tumor perfusion. Researchers suggest the increased vascularity could improve the bioavailability of cytotoxic agents in rectal tumors, often administered early after radiotherapy treatment, according to a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM).

N.Y. gov makes $140M in grants available for health IT

New York Governor David A. Paterson has made available $140 million in grants to health facilities across the state to advance health IT and support capital restructuring and long-term care improvements.

AAPM: Cancer survivor says thanks to medical physicists, oncologists

PHILADELPHIASix years ago, Jim Donnelly was told the cancer on his tongue and larynx needed to be surgically removed. Not accepting that opinion, Donnelly, a professor of business at the University of Kentucky, Lexington, decided to go to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. As was evident by the standing ovation following his address at the annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM), Donnelly has not lost his ability to speak, nor his sense of humor.

Around the web

Compensation for heart specialists continues to climb. What does this say about cardiology as a whole? Could private equity's rising influence bring about change? We spoke to MedAxiom CEO Jerry Blackwell, MD, MBA, a veteran cardiologist himself, to learn more.

The American College of Cardiology has shared its perspective on new CMS payment policies, highlighting revenue concerns while providing key details for cardiologists and other cardiology professionals. 

As debate simmers over how best to regulate AI, experts continue to offer guidance on where to start, how to proceed and what to emphasize. A new resource models its recommendations on what its authors call the “SETO Loop.”