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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-
Recently, I've noticed that as I've gotten older I've developed the freedom to say what I think...or as my wife tells me lost my filter. While there are certain downsides to having to scroll way back in the little box that lists 'birth year' when filling out forms there is also a freedom in knowing that your life's experiences have provided you with knowledge that is just not available in books...which in a lot of ways makes us smarter than the 'geniuses' at the Apple Store. We just laugh at their condescending attitudes and know that they are neophytes when it comes to understanding what really is important in life. Which brings me to what I want to discuss in this issue. Why do we do what we do? In order to be timely and relevant to this newsletter I'll narrow it down to my company, HCI. Why do we do what we do, as professionals, at HCI?
Of course, we work to make money but you can do that a lot of different ways. Along with me many of our employees have been with HCI for decades. We don't just come to work each day, most of us want to come to work each day, it's not a chore. We constantly are reading, going to seminars, and learning more about our industry. While we really like what we do, we might be able to do better financially in another industry...so, it has to be more than money. In last month's issue I discussed our commitment to and focus on quality. I know that we have a universal commitment to quality which, of course, brings like minded people together. But, again, it has to be more than quality. So I asked myself, 'Why is quality so important to everyone one at HCI?' Then, it hit me. Because we are focused on taking care of our clients and their patients. This means providing the best imaging for patients who come for care at some of the best universities in the US, as well as providing care for patients in small rural hospitals. Regardless of where someone lives they deserve the best care possible and every HCI employee gets that when it comes to what we need to deliver. This is what drives us as a team and what allows us to make a difference every day. It's our culture and it's why we do what we do.
I'm proud to be associated with such great professionals.
Best Regards,
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Study Confirms Effectiveness of New-generation Heart Stents in Women
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New-generation drug-eluting stents (DES) demonstrate long-term safety in women with acute myocardial ischemia (MI), with increased benefits for more severe cases of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), according to a
new study
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Money Woes May Shape Metabolic Risk in Young Blacks
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Socioeconomic status was tied to the prevenence of metabolic syndrome among low-income, African-American youth during the last U.S. recession, researchers found.
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Which Single Behavior Best Prevents High Blood Pressure?
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Maybe, as new research suggests maintaining a healthy weight is the No. 1 behavior to prevent unhealthy blood pressure levels.
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'Healthy' Obese Still Face Higher Heart Risks
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Obese people face an increased risk of heart disease, even if they are free of conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure, a large new study suggests.
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Long-acting vs. Short-acting Sulfonylureas present no CV risk increase
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The risk for major adverse cardiovascular events did not significantly differ between adults with type 2 diabetes who used long-acting or short-acting sulfonylureas, but the risk for severe hypoglycemia was higher with long-acting sulfonylurea use, according to findings.
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PCSK9 Inhibitors Show Promise Treating Heart Disease
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A new study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress suggests that blocking
PCSK9
may reduce atherosclerosis and heart disease by harnessing immune mechanisms that are unrelated to lowering cholesterol.
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New Imaging Tracer Allows Early Assessment of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Risk
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Researchers have developed a way in which medical imaging with SPECT/CT could potentially be used to assess a patient's rupture risk for abdominal aortic aneurysm. Delaying surgical treatment can be life-threatening, and this new type of imaging could allow physicians to diagnose disease and better plan its management.
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CABG Outperformed PCI in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes
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Coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) demonstrates favorable results when compared to PCI in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), according to a new study in the
Journal of the American College of Cardiology
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Type 2 Diabetes Shares Risk Genes with Heart Disease
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Using genome data from more than 250,000 people, scientists have identified gene variants that appear to alter the risk of both type 2 diabetes and heart disease - two leading causes of death and disease. They also suggest that the discovery could lead to treatments that use one drug to protect against both illnesses.
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Brisk Walking Linked to Lower Heart Disease Death
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A new study suggests that improving your walking speed while commuting to work and exercising can significantly reduce risks of cardiovascular death.
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ACC Releases 10-point Criteria for Valvular Imaging Tests
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The American College of Cardiology (ACC), partnering with nine other societies, released appropriate use criteria for imaging tests of valvular heart disease.
The Sept. 1 document
addresses evaluation and use of imaging in diagnosing and managing the condition.
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Intensive BP control Control Confers Better Patient Outcomes, More Cost-effective
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When compared with standard BP control, intensive control of systolic BP prevented CVD events, extended life and did so at a lower cost than common willingness-to-pay thresholds, according to findings recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Autoimmune Diseases Raise Cardiovascular, Mortality Risk
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The study, published today in Heart, found that systemic disorders of connective tissue such as lupus and rheumatoid arthritis are linked with a greater cardiovascular and overall mortality risk, followed by inflammatory bowel diseases such as Crohn's and ulcerative colitis.
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Prolonged Standing at Work Linked to Increased CV Risk
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The negative health effects associated with a sedentary lifestyle are well-documented, but a new study suggests that standing for long stretches throughout the workday puts people at greater risk for heart disease than sitting down on the job.
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Younger Adults, Especially Men, Less Likely to Treat High Blood Pressure
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Younger adults are less likely than older people to know they have high blood pressure and to treat the condition, increasing their risk for heart attacks and strokes, a U.S. study suggests.
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Could Common Vitamin Supplements Raise Lung Cancer Risk?
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Men, and especially male smokers, appear to be more likely to develop lung cancer if they take high doses of vitamins B6 and B12, new research suggests.
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Lower Systolic Blood Pressure Target for Blacks May Offer Cognitive Benefits
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Lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels are associated with greater cognitive protection in older adults -- specifically older black adults -- receiving treatment for hypertension, reported researchers.
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Hybrid Modalities Disappoint in Bone Metastases Accuracy
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Despite the apparent technological advantages of SPECT/CT, PET/CT, and PET/MRI, the three hybrid modalities do not perform appreciably better than planar bone scintigraphy in detecting and diagnosing bone metastases, according to a study published online August 10 in the Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
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New Imaging Technique Spots Prostate Tumors Starved of Oxygen
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A new imaging technique uncovers oxygen levels in prostate tumours and could lead to a non-invasive way to determine which tumours are more difficult to treat, according to a Cancer Research UK-funded study published in Theranostics.
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Genetic Risk for Obesity Influenced by Lifestyle
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Physical activity levels and socioeconomic status were found to have a significant effect on genetic factors for obesity.
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Triple-organ PET/MR Can Help Manage Eventual Chemo Effects in Young Cancer Survivors
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Many pediatric cancer survivors initially evidence no functional signs of chemotherapy damage only to develop serious organ problems months or years later. With this common vexation in mind, Stanford University researchers at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital have piloted a surveillance protocol using PET/MR to find chemo-induced injuries lurking in the brain, heart and bone in a single imaging session.
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Communication Improves BP Medication Adherence in Low-Income Patients
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Low-income individuals with high BP were less likely to take their medication when their physician did not ask them about social issues or did not engage in collaborative communication, according to recent findings.
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Weight Loss Tied to All-cause Mortality
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Weight loss of 15% or more and weight gain of 20% or more are both associated with increased all-cause mortality in adults, but the risk is more pronounced with weight loss, according to findings published in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
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New Drug Discovered for Neuropathic Pain
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Researchers at The University of Texas have discovered a potent non-opioid pain reliever that acts on a previously unknown pain pathway. They say the synthetic compound, known as UKH-1114, is as effective at relieving neuropathic pain in laboratory mice as gabapentin, but lasts much longer.
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Poor REM Sleep May Increase Risk for Dementia
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“Different stages of sleep may differentially affect key features of Alzheimer’s disease. Our findings implicate REM sleep mechanisms as predictors of dementia,” Matthew P. Pase, PhD, of Boston University School of Medicine, said in a press release.
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Study: Noninvasive Eye Imaging May Detect Early Signs of Alzheimer's
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A
study
led by researchers at Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision Imaging LLC provides a scientific basis for using noninvasive eye imaging to essentially detect signs of Alzheimer’s. The experimental technology, developed by Cedars-Sinai and NeuroVision, scans the retina using techniques that can identify beta-amyloid protein deposits that mirror those in the brain.
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Telehealth May Ease Docs into ACOs, MedPAC Suggests
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Incentivizing doctors to use telehealth services under Medicare's new value-based payment models might be a good way to get fee-for-service Medicare providers to consider joining an accountable care organization (ACO) or another new model, a member of the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) said Thursday.
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Evidence Supports Push for Social Determinants in EHR Data
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Defined by the World Health Organization as “the conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age,” social determinants of health are at the forefront of health management geared toward addressing all the aspects of a patient’s life to improve overall health.
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Politics that Affect Medicine
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CMS Expects Few Hospitals to Participate in Re admissions Experiment
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The CMS expects few providers to volunteer for an experiment to help track unplanned readmissions and their causes, even though the pilot is a precursor for a mandatory change in how hospitals are penalized.
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Medicare to Foot the Bill for Treadmill Therapy for Leg Pain
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Medicare has decided to pay for supervised exercise therapy for older Americans hobbled by PAD, a serious condition linked to smoking and diabetes that puts people in danger of heart attacks, strokes and amputations. It costs Medicare nearly $4 billion a year on surgeries and procedures to treat it.
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Senate Starts Bipartisan Effort to Overhaul Obamacare
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Congress this week will start a bipartisan process of considering ways to fix problems with rising premiums and dwindling health insurance options that Obamacare
customers are facing
in 2018, just weeks after it failed to repeal parts of the law over the summer.
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Congressmen Investigate 'Shadow Pricing' of MS Drug
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Democratic Reps. Elijah E. Cummings (MD) and Peter Welch (VT) on Thursday sent letters to seven pharmaceutical companies requesting information about the skyrocketing prices for drugs used to treat multiple sclerosis (MS).
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President Trump Signs FDARA
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US President Donald Trump signed the Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act of 2017 (FDARA) into law, which in effect reauthorized the Prescription Drug User Fee Act (PDUFA) and user fees for biosimilars, generic drugs and medical devices.
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Medicaid Reform Requires Outcomes-Based Innovation, Better Data
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Former CMS leaders emphasize adding innovative solutions and data infrastructure to advance successful Medicaid programs.
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Explore. Invent. Transform. The theme of RSNA 2017 invites attendees to investigate and advance radiology through innovation as a means of creating positive impact on patient care. It's a strong message with big implications--and radiology's most influential forum is the ideal place to share it.
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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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Join top practitioners and thinkers to share strategies and resources for accelerating the shift to a more integrated, high performing, and sustainable rural health care system. We hope you'll join us in Phoenix.
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Annual Rural Health Conference May 8-11, 2018 in New Orleans, LA. New Orleans Marriott Hotel.
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com
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