Patient Care

This page includes news coverage of various aspects of patient healthcare, including new technology innovations, what is working, what is not, personalized medicine and remote and telemedicine delivery. Find specific news in the areas of Care DeliveryDigital TransformationPrecision MedicineRemote Monitoring and Telehealth.

Radiology: MRI keeps tabs on temps in focused US cancer treatment

Use of MRI-controlled transurethral ultrasound therapy is feasible and safe for prostate cancer patients, according to the first evaluation of the procedure in humans published online Aug. 28 in Radiology.

Hurricane Isaac threatens imaging infrastructure

Imaging providers are not immune to hurricane-induced havoc. RAD-Planning has issued an advisory and list of suggestions to help providers minimize potential damage.

Decision support increases appropriate imaging orders in Minn.

A large payer-provider collaborative initiative in Minnesota slowed growth in ambulatory orders of high-tech diagnostic imaging, while also raising imaging appropriateness, through a pilot program using a standardized electronic decision support system, according to a study published in the August issue of The American Journal of Managed Care.

UPMC unveils mobile PHR app

University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health Plan in Pittsburgh has unveiled a mobile application that will allow its customers to access their personal health records in the palms of their hands.

Gamma Medica files for bankruptcy

Gamma Medica-Ideas and its related entities have filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection on Aug. 20 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, Central District of California in Woodland Hills.

Effective CDS could routinely implement personalized medicine

Genetically guided personalized medicines potential will not be fully realized until it can be incorporated into routine daily healthcare. Clinical decision support could help propel it there, but research proving its effectiveness is absent, according to a review published Aug. 25 by the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.

Vascular closure device failure rates vary

Vascular closure device (VCD) failure occurred in 3.3 percent of PCI procedures but varied by device type, according to an analysis of data from a statewide registry in Massachusetts. Compared with patients who had successful VCD deployment, patients whose devices failed had a three-fold higher incidence of vascular complications.

Surgeons tend to order off-guideline MRIs for workers' comp claimants

Early MRI for workers compensation claimants with low back pain is generally not recommended by clinical practice guidelines, yet it is ordered in about one-fifth of cases, and it is more likely when patients consult a surgeon for their initial office visit rather than a primary care physician or chiropractor, according to a study published online ahead of print in Spine.

Around the web

No devices need to be returned at this time. However, the FDA warned, using these heart pumps without reviewing the updated instructions could result in "serious injury or death.” 

The FDA recently cleared the company's cable-free, credit card-sized heart monitor that produces 12-lead ECGs.

If 25% tariffs go into effect, it could have a big impact on the cost of medical imaging and radiotherapy systems, with many manufacturing facilities in Mexico.