HCI's Monthly Review of the Healthcare Industry
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Robert J. Stilley
President, CEO
HeartCare Imaging, Inc.
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Dear Colleague -
As I write this month's introduction to the newsletter I'm multitasking by answering the door as 'trick or treaters' come by in search of candy. It's a great tradition, a lot of fun for kids and parents alike that has been going on for generations. I also know that once Halloween is here the rest of the year slips by quickly if you aren't careful! Now is a good time to start to review this year while starting to plan for the new year.
HCI collects data that includes volume, referral patterns, 2019 reimbursement, license and accreditation due dates and more that can be useful in your review and planning process. We will be reaching out to our partner-clients over the next month to review the data in order to plan for a successful 2019. If you aren't working with us but would like to help some help in planning for your imaging needs in 2019 please let us know, we'll be glad to help...we might even have some Reese's left...but maybe not!
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AFib’s impact on heart failure outcomes varies by subtype
Higher ejection fractions (EFs) among heart failure patients are associated with an increased incidence of atrial fibrillation (AF) and worse cardiovascular outcomes, according to data from a multinational European registry...
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Device therapy for pulmonary hypertension wins innovation award
SAN DIEGO — A novel device to treat pulmonary hypertension won the Shark Tank Innovation Competition held at TCT 2018. The device, developed by Aria CV Inc. of St. Paul, Minnesota, was designed for patients with various forms of pulmonary hypertension, said John Scandurra, DVM, co-founder and CEO of the company.
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Heart surgery: Does it impact cognitive ability?
A recent systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that, following open heart surgery, a person's cognitive ability might be reduced — at least in the short-term.
A new analysis investigates the impact of heart surgery on cognitive performance.
Almost
8 million
people in the United States undergo cardiovascular surgery or other related procedures each year.
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Newly discovered molecule could treat heart failure
In heart failure, the heart is unable to pump blood effectively throughout the body. One key factor in the development of this condition is calcium dysregulation. A newly discovered molecule that may be able to address this issue could become the next therapeutic target for this heart condition.
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Bioengineered human cardiac models spur disruptive innovation in disease research
Thrombosis-on-a-chip, vasculature-on-a-chip and engineered models of human cardiac fibrosis are just a few of the new technologies revolutionizing research into human cardiovascular disease—a condition responsible for 17 million deaths per annum globally. A new study entitled Cardiovascular Disease Models: A Game Changing Paradigm in Drug Discovery and Screening, published this week in the journal
Biomaterials
by bioengineering scientists from the University of Toronto, proposes a new paradigm for research into cardiovascular diseases.
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Breakthrough findings for the treatment of heart attack patients with cardiogenic shock
Heart attacks with cardiogenic shock represent a major European healthcare concern with mortality rates between 40-70 percent. So how can it be treated best? The breakthrough findings of the five-year long CULPRIT-SHOCK multi-center study give a clear answer to this question and even lead to a change of the Guidelines of the European Society of Cardiology.
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Today's Sleepy Teens Tomorrow's Heart Patients?
Most kids don't get enough
sleep
, and that may put them on a path to future
heart
trouble, a new study finds. Young
teens
who slept less than seven hours a night tended to have more body fat, elevated
blood pressure
and less healthy
cholesterol levels
-- all bad for the
heart
, researchers say.
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Bipolar patients’ relatives face increased cardiovascular risk
BARCELONA – Young patients recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder are at double the 30-year risk of cardiovascular disease, compared with the general population, and their unaffected first-degree relatives are nearly as high risk, Klara Coello, MD, reported at the annual congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.
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Valve repair with transcatheter device reduces tricuspid regurgitation
SAN DIEGO —Interventional tricuspid edge-to-edge valve repair with a transcatheter device in patients with tricuspid regurgitation was safe and resulted in a high procedural success rate, according to data from the TriValve registry presented at TCT 2018.
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Cold, Windy Days Can Strain the Heart
Brisk autumn winds and chilly winter temperatures may make you more vulnerable to
heart
trouble, a new study suggests. Researchers found "an increase in
heart attacks
in low temperature, strong wind, low sunshine duration and low atmospheric pressure," said senior author Dr. David Erlinge, head of cardiology at Lund University in Sweden.
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4 Million Pounds of Food Part of Massive Recall
A massive recall involving nearly 4 million pounds of salads, wraps, and other products has been traced to a common supplier of onions and other vegetables. McCain Foods, headquartered in Canada, announced that its fire-roasted, caramelized, or sauteed frozen vegetables and fruits made at its Colton, CA, facility may have been contaminated. The products were sold in Trader Joe’s,
Whole Foods
, Walmart, Kroger, and Target stores across the country.
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Obesity a Painful Reality for 1 in 6 U.S. Youths
HealthDay News -- One in six American kids struggles with obesity, and minorities struggle the most, a new report shows. "Childhood obesity continues to be a major public health challenge, with significant financial and societal implications," said Jamie Bussel. She is senior program officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, which conducted the study.
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HR’s recurring headache: Convincing employees to get a flu shot
Elizabeth Frenzel and her team are the Ford assembly line of flu shots: They can administer about 1,800 flu shots in four hours. Frenzel is the director of employee health and well being at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, and with 20,000 employees, she is no stranger to spearheading large flu shot programs
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Trial to Test New Imaging Agent for Visualizing Synapses in Living Brain
Rodin Therapeutics
will evaluate a new imaging agent that allows the visualization of human synapses — the junctions between two nerve cells that allow them to communicate — in the living brain.
Results from the study will guide the company’s upcoming Phase 1b trial of a new therapeutic compound designed to strengthen and increase the number of synapses in patients with neurologic diseases, including
Parkinson’s
.
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Want To Keep Your Brain Sharp? Take Care Of Your Eyes And Ears
By age 40, about 1 in 10 adults will experience some hearing loss. It happens so slowly and gradually, says audiologist Dina Rollins. "You don't realize what you're missing." And even as it worsens, many people are in denial.
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Why obese women might combat CVD, diabetes better than obese men
Overweight and obese women might face better odds against diabetes, insulin resistance and CVD than men, according to a rodent
study
out of York University in Toronto.
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The brain science of behavior change
Health insurance plans and health care providers have a clear stake in consumer behavior change as the United States grapples with the consequences of ever more prevalent obesity and chronic disease. With weight loss and weight management spending projected to reach
$206 billion within two years
, it’s clear consumers share that interest, too. So why is it so hard to motivate healthy behavior changes?
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5 trends reshaping health care (and your job) this year
Health care hasn’t yet had its iPhone moment, but health care marketers know perhaps better than anyone else in the sector how fast old stereotypes about the industry are changing. At SmartBrief, our editors see this every day as we comb through the news for our health care provider, payer, IT and life sciences audiences. Our content curation is guided by virtual reams of engagement data, but also by the knowledge that the world is changing – fast – and we need to help our readers stay on top of it.
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Cannabis withdrawal can be 'highly disabling'
A recent study — led by the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Columbia University Irving Medical Center, both in New York City, NY — set out to investigate what percentage of people who frequently use cannabis may experience cannabis withdrawal syndrome.
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Study: There’s no such thing as ‘too fit’
Having reduced cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is as harmful to survival as coronary artery disease, smoking cigarettes or diabetes, suggests a retrospective
study
published Oct. 19 in JAMA Network Open.
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Alzheimer's: These psychiatric symptoms may be an early sign
By the time that the symptoms of dementia emerge in Alzheimer's disease, tissue damage is well underway in the brain. Now, scientists propose that specific psychiatric symptoms – such as depression, anxiety, sleep disruption, and loss of appetite – may serve as markers of very early brain changes in Alzheimer's.
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Don't Want Rosacea? Drinking Coffee Might Help
Contrary to popular belief, new research suggests that drinking
coffee
might be a good prescription for avoiding the unsightly skin condition known as
rosacea
. The finding is based on an analysis of rosacea risk and dietary habits among nearly 83,000 women who were enrolled in a national nurses' study between 1991 and 2005.
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Study: Global Lifespan to Increase by 2040
By 2040, all countries are expected to experience an increase in lifespans.
A study published in The Lancet on Tuesday examined 250 causes of death between 1990 and 2016 in 195 countries and used that data to generate predictions for 2017 to 2040. It projected that global life expectancy will increase an average of 4.4 years. Researchers found that health, in most instances, was forecast to improve by 2040. However, 36 health conditions were forecast to decline.
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Rural Pharmacies Are Closing: Where Does That Leave Patients?
In rural and small-town America, independent pharmacies play a vital role for the customers who rely on them. However, U.S. rural pharmacies are dwindling. Since 2003, about 16 percent of independent rural pharmacies – or roughly 1,230 stores – have closed, with fewer than 6,400 remaining, according to figures released in July.
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Medicaid Enrollment Dips by 1.1 Million
WASHINGTON -- Economic growth and other factors have led to the first decline in Medicaid enrollment since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) took effect in 2013, according to a report from the A2 Strategy Group.
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Data Points: Healthcare industry challenged with cyber insecurity, data breaches
Anthem's $16 million settlement with the federal government for a massive data breach is just another example of the extreme vulnerabilities the industry faces from hackers and other evildoers. Hackers got into Anthem's network in 2015, stealing names, birthdates, Social Security numbers, home addresses and other information on more than 79 million customers.
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Are Universal EHRs Key to Healthcare Value, Trust, and AI Adoption?
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“Universal EHR” structures, in which every citizen’s electronic health record is connected to a single national system, are tied to higher trust in the healthcare system and higher value for patients, the international assessment showed.
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Politics that Affect Medicine
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Trump enacts anti-opioid abuse package in rare bipartisan step
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Medical treatment will be more widely available to opioid abusers while mailing illicit drugs will be more difficult under a measure to fight drug addiction that was signed into law on Wednesday by U.S. President Donald Trump.
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Tech, pharma companies prepare for congressional scrutiny
Washington, D.C.-based law firms are readying corporate clients for congressional investigations if Democrats take back the majority in the House of Representatives after the midterm election, according to a report from
Politico
.
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Trump administration says it's ending ACA ‘sabotage,’ experts say it comes at great risk to patients
The average premium for the second lowest cost silver health insurance plans — the one used to determine final premium tax credits — will drop by a “historical” 1.5% for the first-time since the implementation of the federally-facilitated exchange in 2014, according to CMS.
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The American Hospital Association’s 2019 Rural Health Care Leadership Conference, February 3-6, Phoenix, AZ, brings together top practitioners and thinkers to share strategies and resources for accelerating the shift to a more integrated and sustainable rural health system. We’ll examine the most significant operational, financial and environmental challenges and present innovative approaches that will enable you to transform your organization’s care delivery model and business practices.
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For over 25 years, HRSI has provided Authorized User (AU) classroom and laboratory training to physicians. HRSI's training is recognized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and fulfills the didactic training required by law.
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Mark your calendar! The Radiological Society of North America’s 104
th
Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting is scheduled to take place November 25 to 30 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Every year, radiology’s best and brightest convene at the RSNA annual meeting to learn from the specialty’s top experts and get an exclusive look at the latest in medical imaging technology. RSNA 2017 brought breakthrough science in machine learning, artificial intelligence and 3D printing to the forefront, affirming the Society’s position as the leader promoting scientific innovation for better patient care. Save the date now to see tomorrow’s medical imaging discoveries today at RSNA 2018!
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com
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