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.

GE RIS/PACS links Winter Olympic healthcare facilities

GE Healthcares Centricity Radiology-IW technology will enable medical staff at remote facilities to have real-time access to patient information and images when treating injured athletes at the 2010 Winter Olympic Games and Paralympic Winter Games in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Agfa-Gevaert taps HealthCare chief Reinaudo as CEO

During its Feb. 9 meeting, the board of directors of Agfa-Gevaert accepted Jo Cornus request to end his mandate as CEO . The board has decided to nominate Christian Reinaudo as his successor, effective immediately.

NexGen, Ingram Micro team up for EHR adoption

Ingram Micro has entered into a new distribution agreement with EHR/practice management company NextGen Healthcare Information Systems to recruit, train and support new partners who help providers take advantage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009 stimulus payments for health IT adoption.

Siemens nets a $70M imaging contract in Iraq

Siemens Healthcare will supply diagnostics imaging equipment to all Ministry of Health hospitals (approximately 100) across Iraq.

GE appoints Denman as CMO

William Denman, MD, has been appointed chief medical officer (CMO) at GE Healthcare.

iPad apps debut, MDs weigh in on communication, EHRs

Apple's announcement of the iPad made headlines last week. Shortly after the announcement, vendors began announcing applications that might help make the device a game-changer for healthcare IT--or not. At press time, the ayes still held a narrow lead in our poll of CMIO.net readers about whether or not the technology has the functionality to be widely adopted within healthcare. Among respondents, the affirmative responses held a 51-45 edge.

NEJM: Functional MRI + mental tasks may indicate awareness for vegetative patients

A combined technique utilizing functional MRI and mental-imagery tasks have proven that a small proportion of patients diagnosed as being in a vegetative or minimally conscious state may have brain activity reflecting some awareness and cognition, according to the results of a study published online Feb. 3 in the New England Journal of Medicine.

IBM to acquire Initiate Systems for undisclosed sum

IBM has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Initiate Systems, a provider of data integrity software for information sharing among healthcare and government organizations. Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

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.”