Methodist Hospital Research Institute (MHRI) in Houston is partnering with Philips Healthcare to build a multi-modality suite capable of imaging highly infectious patients in a contained, quarantine-like environment.

Experts are starting to formulate how accountable care organizations (ACOs) could take shape in various risk- and payment-sharing models, but the general consensus is that there is not enough interoperability between provider partners and internal systems to be successfuljust yet. However, there seem to be steps in the right direction.

Cleveland Clinic spinoff ImageIQ has partnered with its former parent organization, along with the National Center for Regenerative Medicine and the Cleveland Cord Blood Center, to develop software for assessing umbilical cord blood for the potential of its stem cells.

The U.K. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has updated its chronic heart failure (HF) guidelines to outline better management strategies of the disease. The guidelines focus on serum natriuretic peptide levels, echocardiography, drug therapy, cardiac resynchronization (CRT), implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) and disease monitoring for HF patient management. Yet, an accompanying editorial questioned whether guidelines will be enough, adding that fully engaging the patient and focusing on values may be just as important.

Pericardial fat measured by MRI correlated more strongly with plaque eccentricity than body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, according to a study published online Aug. 16 in Radiology. The relationship between pericardial fat and overall plaque burden was stronger for men than women in the study.

S. Wayne Kay, CEO of the Vancouver, B.C.-based Response Biomedical, a publicly traded manufacturer of equipment for clinical and environmental testing, has stepped down. Peter Thompson will serve as interim CEO while Responses board of directors oversees a search firm brought in to recruit a new CEO as quickly as possible, according to a press release announcing the transition.

The Plymouth Meeting, Pa.-based Healthcare Technology Foundation (HTF) is surveying healthcare workers who have knowledge of clinical alarm problems.

Hospitals working to enhance patient care, while improving their bottom lines are finding medication inventory management to be an important part of the process. A report by healthcare research firm KLAS, addressed the question of what role pharmacy automation plays in managing medication inventories and which vendors' automation systems are helping.