Volume XV | Issue 9 | September 2023 | |
HCI's Monthly Review of the Healthcare Industry | |
Robert J. Stilley
President, CEO
HeartCare Imaging, Inc.
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Dear Colleagues –
Many of you know that I’m a runner…albeit an old runner… but still a runner. One of the reasons I like to run is it allows me to think without interruption. Yesterday, I was on my long Sunday run and thinking about how we can achieve excellence. I thought of the expression of taking it to the n(th) degree. The n(th) degree…I know what it means to me, but I thought I’d Google it after my run to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. Well, it turns out there are a lot of meanings…and some are not positive. To me, it’s always meant to go the extra mile to accomplish a worthwhile goal. Some of the comments I saw ridiculed it as going too far to achieve excellence…Today, it seems too many in our society think excellence is doing just enough to just get by or something not worth working harder for. They might accomplish a task, but is it truly done in a way that reflects a job well done? In our profession of patient care, I don’t think we have the option of doing our job good enough to just get by. We are dealing with diagnosing patients; we have no choice but to do all we can to ensure we get it right. From HCI’s perspective this means having excellent equipment, superb personnel available, and working with our partner clients on patient and physician education which results in appropriate orders and financial stability. At HCI our team always go to the n(th) degree to get the job done, it’s in our DNA. In turn, we receive daily reminders that this is working from grateful patients and physicians.
We also want to provide a company that goes to the n(th) degree for our team members by providing them with a great place to work. We think we’re on the right path! The awards ceremony for Modern Healthcare’s Best Places to Work in Healthcare was held last week. HCI was named as the #8 company in the country on the list of Best Places to Work in Healthcare. I promise that we will continue to go to the n(th) degree in all that we do going forward.
Best Regards,
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Rare finding detected on PSMA-PET: A nonprostatic lung tumor
A group in Australia has described a rare finding discovered during a prostate cancer restaging PET/CT scan – a pulmonary tumor embolism, according to a case published September 19 in Radiology Case Reports.
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Pretargeted radioimmunotherapy shows early promise in treating aggressive ovarian cancer
A recently developed pretargeted radioimmunotherapy (PRIT) system has displayed potential in treating advanced epithelial ovarian cancer with limited side effects.
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Novartis's Radioligand Therapy Shows Survival Improvement for Certain Cancer Patients
Novartis's radioligand therapy, Lutathera, showed a significant improvement in survival for patients with gastroenteropancreatic neuroendocrine tumors.
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Heart Disease Death Rates In US Have Fallen Sharply In Past 30 Years, Research Finds
HealthDay reports, “Fatal heart disease in the United States dropped about 4% a year between 1990 and 2019, but Americans need to quit smoking, drinking and overeating or those gains could be wiped out, according to new research.” Investigators found that “among people ages 25 to 84, deaths from heart disease fell from more than 397,000 deaths in 1990 to about 237,000 in 2019,” but “those declines, however, slowed significantly between 2011 and 2019.” The research was published in the American Heart Journal.
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Anxiety, depression ease after AFib ablation: Clinical or placebo effect?
Successful catheter ablation in a recent study may have helped alleviate anxiety or depression in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib) who had initially tested high for such psychological distress.
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Cooling device now approved by FDA to reduce risk of ablation-related esophageal injuries
Attune Medical, the Chicago-based healthcare technology company, has received a De Novo approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its ensoETM device to limit the risk of esophageal injury during radiofrequency cardiac ablation procedures.
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Severe psoriasis linked to a higher risk for heart disease, study confirms
In a large cross-sectional study, nearly one-third of patients with severe psoriasis met criteria for coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD)
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New risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women emerging
During the session titled “Cardiac Care in Women: Emerging Risk Factors” at CardioAcademic 2023, the former president of the American College of Cardiology emphasized that gender equity in care for cardiovascular disease will be achieved only when risk factors are evaluated from a gender-dependent perspective and when assessments are broadened to include novel and unrecognized risk factors, not just traditional risk factors.
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Job-related stressors tied to increased CHD risk in men
Men exposed to either job-related stress or an imbalance between the effort they put in and the rewards they reap at work have a 50% increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD), and those facing both stressors have double the risk compared with colleagues not suffering from these stressors, new research shows.
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Obesity-related cardiovascular disease deaths surging
In contrast to an overall decline in cardiovascular mortality, obesity-related cardiovascular deaths have risen substantially in the past 2 decades, most prominently among Black women.
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A New Way to Protect Against Heart Attacks
In June, the Food and Drug Administration approved a new low-dose version of colchicine as the first-ever medicine to treat cardiovascular inflammation, marking a new approach for heart-attack prevention.
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Stress test abnormalities reveal more than just cardiovascular risks
The treadmill exercise test with electrocardiogram (ECG), also known as an exercise stress test, is one of the most familiar tests in medicine. While exercise testing typically is focused on diagnosing coronary artery disease, a recent study finds that exercise test abnormalities, such as low functional aerobic capacity, predicted non-cardiovascular causes of death such as cancer in addition to cardiovascular-related deaths.
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Socioeconomic status may be an uneven predictor of heart health
The benefits of four measures of socioeconomic status (education, income, employment status and health insurance) on ideal heart health were greater for non-Hispanic white adults compared to Black, Hispanic and Asian adults in the U.S.
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New evidence indicates patients recall death experiences after cardiac arrest
Up to an hour after their hearts had stopped, some patients revived by cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) had clear memories afterward of experiencing death and had brain patterns while unconscious linked to thought and memory, report investigators.
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How Research in Space Helps Doctors Treat People on Earth
Medical research in space is leading to advances that could help patients on Earth.
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Scientists edge closer to finding a biomarker for long Covid, which could lead to better tests and treatments
People who have struggled to recover after Covid-19 often find that clinicians treat them like medical mysteries. Routine tests often don’t reveal that anything is amiss, so doctors sometimes wrongly assume that long Covid might be a form of depression or anxiety or is otherwise all in a person’s head.
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Researchers grow embryonic humanized kidneys inside pigs for 28 days
Researchers have successfully created chimeric embryos containing a combination of human and pig cells. When transferred into surrogate pig mothers, the developing humanized kidneys had normal structure and tubule formation after 28 days. This is the first time that scientists have been able to grow a solid humanized organ inside another species, though previous studies have used similar methods to generate human tissues such as blood or skeletal muscle in pigs.
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What to know about the Blue Zone diet and other healthy habits for longevity
The question of how to live a long, healthy life is increasingly at the forefront of medical research. While centuries ago some may have turned to finding mythical immortality-granting items like the Holy Grail, scientists now say that achieving longevity may rely on eating the right foods, adopting healthy habits, and remaining socially active.
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Healthy lifestyle can help prevent depression -- and new research may explain why
A healthy lifestyle that involves moderate alcohol consumption, a healthy diet, regular physical activity, healthy sleep and frequent social connection, while avoiding smoking and too much sedentary behavior, reduces the risk of depression, new research has found.
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New research adds evidence to the benefits of ginger supplements for treating autoimmune diseases
New research has revealed a potentially important role ginger supplements can play in controlling inflammation for people living with autoimmune diseases. The research focused on studying the impact of ginger supplementation on a type of white blood cell called the neutrophil. The study was especially interested in neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation, also known as NETosis, and what it may mean for controlling inflammation. The study found ginger consumption by healthy individuals makes their neutrophils more resistant to NETosis. This is important because NETs are microscopic spider web-like structures that propel inflammation and clotting, which contribute to many autoimmune diseases, including lupus, antiphospholipid syndrome and rheumatoid arthritis.
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An overdose drug is finally over-the-counter. Is that enough to stop the death toll?
Earlier this month, drug stores and pharmacies nationwide began stocking and selling the country's first over-the-counter version of naloxone, a medication that can stop a potentially fatal overdose from opioids. It's sold as a nasal spray under the brand name Narcan.
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ADHD underappreciated in older adults
Less than half of older adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are diagnosed with the condition, and many never receive treatment.
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New research adds evidence to the benefits of ginger supplements for treating autoimmune diseases
New research has revealed a potentially important role ginger supplements can play in controlling inflammation for people living with autoimmune diseases.
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Health Care Industry News | |
Costco members now have access to $29 online health care visits
The retailer is offering the new service in partnership with Sesame, a direct-to-consumer health care marketplace that connects medical providers nationwide with consumers.
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Women pay billions more out of pocket for health care: analysis
At every age, women have higher out-of-pocket expenses for their health care than men despite having similar health insurance, according to a new Deloitte report.
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Tracking healthcare worker strikes
As more contracts covering workers on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic come up for expiration, nurses, technicians and other staff are pushing for measures to improve working conditions.
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CommonSpirit launches value-based management platform for physicians
The nonprofit giant is the latest healthcare organization attempting to position itself as an attractive partner for independent physicians who want to transition to value-based payment arrangements.
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UnitedHealthcare, Cigna prior authorization cuts not to be confused with major progress: AMA
UnitedHealthcare and Cigna's prior authorization cuts are steps in the right direction, but the American Medical Association is "careful not to confuse positive developments with major progress," the organization's immediate past president Jack Resneck, MD, said.
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PBMs, PhRMA trade blame over drug costs in House hearing
PBM lobby PCMA and drugmaker lobby PhRMA both testified Tuesday at the House Oversight and Accountability Committee’s second hearing on the PBM industry.
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Scientists regenerate neurons that restore walking in mice after paralysis from spinal cord injury
In a new study in mice, researchers have uncovered a crucial component for restoring functional activity after spinal cord injury. The neuroscientists have shown that re-growing specific neurons back to their natural target regions led to recovery, while random regrowth was not effective.
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Jellyfish, with no central brain, shown to learn from past experience
Even without a central brain, jellyfish can learn from past experiences like humans, mice, and flies, scientists report for the first time. They trained Caribbean box jellyfish (Tripedalia cystophora) to learn to spot and dodge obstacles. The study challenges previous notions that advanced learning requires a centralized brain and sheds light on the evolutionary roots of learning and memory.
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Coffee Component Boosts Memory
Trigonelline (TG), a compound in coffee and certain vegetables, is believed to improve cognitive decline in aging. Researchers administered TG to aging mice, noting enhancements in spatial learning and memory.
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Unlocking Non-Opioid Pain Relief: Acetylcholine’s Untapped Potential
Researchers have unveiled a groundbreaking discovery in the field of pain management: an alternative pathway in the brain that provides relief similar to opioids but without the addiction risks.
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Mystery Behind Neuron Death in Alzheimer’s Decoded
Researchers have unveiled the mystery behind neuron death in Alzheimer’s disease. A groundbreaking study reveals that neurons undergo a programmed cell death, necroptosis, when exposed to amyloid plaques and tau tangles, hallmark proteins linked to Alzheimer’s. The study pinpoints an RNA gene called MEG3 as a potential key player in this process. This pivotal discovery provides promising pathways for future treatments.
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Kansas governor says Medicaid expansion the 'top priority' for 2024
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly has launched a statewide campaign pushing for Medicaid expansion, calling it her top priority for the state's legislative session next year.
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FDA staff hold ‘major concerns’ with Brainstorm ALS therapy, documents show
A panel of expert advisers will meet Wednesday to review the stem cell treatment, which has become the latest test case in a debate over regulatory flexibility.
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Federal agencies propose increase to No Surprises Act administrative fees
A proposed rule would require nursing facilities to boost hours of nursing care, but industry leaders argue a workforce shortage makes such an increase impossible.
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Over 80% of nursing homes currently fall short of proposed CMS staffing thresholds
The HHS and other departments proposed a rule that would raise the independent dispute resolution process fees from $50 to $150.
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‘Revolving door’ between HHS and industry could influence regulation, study says
Thirty-two percent of people appointed to positions at the HHS between 2004 and 2020 exited to the private sector, according to new research published in Health Affairs.
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com | | | | |
