The FDAs Peripheral and Central Nervous System Drugs Advisory Committee has voted unanimously that clinical trial and post-marketing data for gadobutrol injection, a macrocyclic 1.0 molar gadolinium-based contrast agent (Gadovist, Bayer HealthCare Pharmaceuticals), support approval of the product for proposed use in diagnostic MRI in adults and children (two years of age and older) to detect and visualize areas with disrupted blood brain barrier and/or abnormal vascularity of the central nervous system.

Newly formed clinical informatics positions can be difficult to fill, with 47 percent of healthcare organizations reporting challenges with recruitment, retention or both, according to a recent Hay Group study.

Interoperability is the word for the week in some circles. Its also the word of the year for the Office of the National Coordinator. In an interview with CMIO, ONC Chair David Blumenthal, MD, said an increased level of interoperability in the healthcare system is a major ONC goal for 2011.

Amid soaring imaging rates outpaced only by the cost of exams, Minnesota payors have halted the growth of imaging, improved diagnostic utility and saved an estimated $84 million by sidestepping radiology benefits management firms in favor of computerized clinical decision support.

Having advanced images available in an electronic record will evolve from cutting-edge technology to requirement eventually. However, getting complex images into everyday workflows will require answers to questions such as, how will these data-intense images be stored? How will they be kept secure? And perhaps most important, are these images necessary for improving daily care?

Healthcare systems around the world are failing to use evidence obtained through research when making decisions, causing inefficiencies and reduced quantity and quality of life, according to Sharon Straus, MD, a geriatrician and director of knowledge translation at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto and guest editor of the January edition of Journal of Clinical Epidemiology.

Radiologist attendance at RSNA 2010 totaled 15,801, setting a new high bar in the meetings history.

No particular group is pushing healthcare to integrate data and deploy systems that can interoperate, and recent news shows how many forces are shaping the landscape.