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 our company approaches the end of a year it forces a look back at the previous year. I think that’s a good thing because it seems that things keep moving faster and faster with less time for planning, reviewing, communicating, and just plain enjoying what we do every day. When I look back at 2021, I realize that we’ve had a relatively good year at HCI. Although COVID started in 2020, it seems to me that looking back on 2021 is hard without somehow taking into account the pandemic. Since the pandemic began, all of us have had to ‘react’ a lot more than ‘plan’ since the plans we continually put in place get blown apart by new variants, government mandates, and unforeseen economic changes. HCI and other successful companies had big plans for 2020 and 2021 which were not fulfilled. That said, companies that did plan, continue to plan, and had flexibility in their plan fared better than those that were paralyzed by the constant change brought on by the pandemic. While there were numerous curves thrown at us, we had some sense of direction which at least allowed us to only have to adjust vs. start from scratch. In addition to planning, communication is a needed key of success. A team needs to understand the plan and if the plan is changing that needs to be communicated early and often. Communication of, even bad, information allows for team members to have solid facts to deal with vs. having to wonder what is true and what is false. Solid, timely communication of reality ensures teams perform at the highest level…in good times and bad. It took a while, but we’ve finally had a chance to look back and realize what we’ve accomplished is pretty darn amazing. I think we also realized how much we enjoy what we do and that without us the world wouldn’t be as good a place. This might sound boastful, but I know what our team has done throughout the past 18 months, and I know that by going to work every day, in the face of incredible concern of their own well-being, they have provided care for people across the country which has ensured better health and wellness. And, for that I’m proud and thankful. So, with that…I wish everyone a very happy holiday season and a wonderful 2022!
Sincerely,
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Analysis of Multi-Ancestry Cohort Uncovers Dozens of Genes Linked to Blood Lipid Levels |
In a new study, an international team of researchers has conducted gene-based association testing of blood lipid levels with rare and likely damaging gene variants using a dataset of more than 170,000 individuals of multiple ancestries. As they reported in the American Journal of Human Genetics on Monday, the researchers identified 35 genes linked to circulating lipid levels, including genes not previously associated with lipid levels, including ones found among individuals of differing ancestries.
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Vision and hearing impairments increase risks for poor CV outcomes in type 2 diabetes |
People with type 2 diabetes and a hearing or vision impairment have an elevated risk for myocardial infarction, stroke and all-cause mortality, according to study findings published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
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Irregular menses may signal heart disease, diabetes risk |
Women with irregular menses are 20% more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and 17% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes over 20 years compared with women with regular menstrual cycles, according to an Australian database analysis.
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Health Fusion: 2 common sleep disorders may be a deadly combo |
Insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea can disrupt your life and undermine your health. If you have a combo of both sleep disorders, your risk of heart disease and dying may rise even more. In this episode of NewsMD's "Health Fusion," Viv Williams checks out a new study and shares the researchers' recommendation for what to do if you have the dangerous combo.
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Vitamin D deficiency may increase CVD risk, BP |
Individuals with vitamin D deficiency were more likely to develop CVD and higher BP than those with normal levels of vitamin D, according to findings published in the European Heart Journal.
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People with HIV more likely to develop heart failure, study finds |
People with HIV are at higher risk of developing heart failure than people without HIV, a new study found.
The research, published December 13 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings, is one of the largest studies to investigate heart failure risk in people with HIV and how that risk varies by age, gender, race, and ethnicity.
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Higher diet quality associated with lower CVD risk in adults with normal, overweight BMI |
Higher diet quality was associated with lower risk for incident CVD in U.S. adults with normal weight and overweight, but not in those with obesity, researchers reported in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
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Novel AI score predicts risk of death in patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease |
A novel artificial intelligence score provides a more accurate forecast of the likelihood of patients with suspected or known coronary artery disease dying within 10 years than established scores used by health professionals worldwide. The research is presented today at EuroEcho 2021, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
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Seven strategies that may significantly improve quality of CVD care |
Primary care clinics that implemented seven evidence-based strategies saw significant improvements in cardiovascular-related clinical quality measures, data showed.
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30-day readmission rate higher in HF patients with amyloidosis than without |
Patients admitted with HF with amyloidosis had a higher 30-day, all-cause readmission rate and longer hospital stay vs. HF patients without amyloidosis, study data presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions show.
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Yoga a promising adjunctive therapy for recurrent vasovagal syncope, study finds |
In patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope, yoga as an adjunctive therapy was superior to standard therapy only for reducing symptomatic burden and improving quality of life, researchers reported.
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Pressure-regulated THV deployment could provide significant value |
Pressure-regulated transcatheter heart valve (THV) deployment is safe and effective, according to a new study published in JACC: Cardiovascular Interventions. The study’s authors also suggest this method could boost patient outcomes over time.
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US Chest Pain Guidelines Will Change Practice, Though Gaps Remain |
With over a month to digest the long-awaited American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) chest pain guidelines, physicians across the US are mostly happy to see a wide swath of modalities represented that could be used to look for underlying coronary disease, with an emphasis on a patient-centered approach. But they also have wish lists for future iterations.
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High Fasting Blood Sugar May Impair Cardiac Autonomic Control In Diabetes: Study |
A recent study published in the journal Frontier in Endocrinology showed that high fasting blood sugar level in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) is associated with cardiac autonomic dysfunction.
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Botox-treated patients report lesser anxiety |
The study, publishing Dec. 21, 2021 in the journal Scientific Reports, found that people receiving Botox injections at four different sites -; not just in the forehead -; reported anxiety significantly less often than patients undergoing different treatments for the same conditions.
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Parkinson’s Mutation Mislocalizes Iron in the Brain |
A common gene mutation for Parkinson’s disease drives mislocalization of iron in activated microglia, according to researchers who published a study (“Mutations in LRRK2 linked to Parkinson disease sequester Rab8a to damaged lysosomes and regulate transferrin-mediated iron uptake in microglia”) in the open-access journal PLOS Biology.
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Faster medical intervention key for lessening memory loss in stroke patients |
Rapid intensive care, including endovascular therapy after stroke, proved to be a factor in less memory loss, according to results of a survey published in the American Academy of Neurology.
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FDA greenlights AI software that helps diagnose breast and thyroid cancers |
The AI software was built using data from 48 networks from around the world and is said to improve the overall accuracy, consistency and efficiency of physicians’ breast and thyroid cancer diagnoses.
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Age-related Eye Disease Heightens Parkinson’s Risk, Study Suggests |
People with age-related macular degeneration, an eye disease that blurs central vision, may have a higher risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, a Taiwanese population‐based retrospective study suggests.
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PET/CT predicts survival outcomes in immunotherapy patients |
PET/CT imaging in patients with metastatic melanoma who receive immunotherapy drugs can show which patients are more or less likely to survive, according to a study published December 12 in the European Journal of Radiology.
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Inflammatory Bacteria in Nose Linked to Parkinson’s Risk |
People with Parkinson’s disease tend to have high numbers of pro-inflammatory bacteria in their noses, according to a new study.
Researchers think these bacteria may be a trigger for inflammation in the brain, which could help to set the stage for the development of Parkinson’s.
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Higher genetic risk for multiple sclerosis means earlier onset of the disease |
Anyone who has multiple sclerosis—or has a close friend with the disease—knows an MS diagnosis is the beginning of a very uncertain future. The degenerative disease is so complex that patients may be fully quadriplegic seven years after onset, or they may be well into their 60s and live a relatively normal life.
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PSMA PET/CT better detects prostate cancer spread, long-term outcomes over conventional imaging |
A recently approved molecular imaging technique enhances long-term prediction capabilities for patients with potentially lethal prostate cancer, surpassing traditional approaches, researchers reported Monday in JAMA Network Open
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Interaction between SARS-CoV-2 N-protein and Parkinson's protein speeds up amyloid formation |
Case reports of relatively young COVID-19 patients who developed Parkinson's disease within weeks of contracting the virus have led scientists to wonder if there could be a link between the two conditions. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Chemical Neuroscience have shown that, at least in the test tube, the SARS-CoV-2 N-protein interacts with a neuronal protein called α-synuclein and speeds the formation of amyloid fibrils, pathological protein bundles that have been implicated in Parkinson's disease.
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Higher Sunlight Exposure Tied to Reduced MS Risk in Children |
Children and young adults who spend more time outdoors in the sunshine are less likely to develop multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study, which suggests that sunshine might help to protect against the disease.
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Clonal hematopoiesis ‘surprisingly’ linked to lower risk for Alzheimer’s disease |
Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential, which has been shown to substantially increase risk for blood cancer and cardiovascular disease, also appeared associated with protection from Alzheimer’s disease, according to study results.
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Rare population of toxic senescent cells in the brain could be a target for Alzheimer's treatment |
For the first time, scientists have identified a rare population of potentially toxic senescent cells in human brains that can serve as a target for a new Alzheimer's disease treatment.
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Local pharmacists fill prescription void as big brands pull out of rural areas |
“The big-box stores came into smaller and smaller communities, and they, in essence, outcompeted all the other pharmacies in the area,” said David Zgarrick, a pharmacy professor at Northeastern University in Boston. “Now they’re completely gone and with them the pharmacy services and everything else they provided. They left a vacuum in a lot of these places.”
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To alleviate EHR burdens, teamwork makes the dream work |
A new study shows that primary care physicians who had greater documentation support from staff spent less daily time in the electronic health record.
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Provider groups call for drug supply chain restructuring to avoid shortages |
Rewarding pharmaceutical suppliers for developing continuous manufacturing infrastructure in the U.S. and abroad could help mitigate drug shortages, the American Medical Association, American Society of Anesthesiologists, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Association for Clinical Oncology and United States Pharmacopeia urge in the report.
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What you need to know about the Log4j vulnerability |
Hospital and health system executives should assess the software they're using and monitor their networks as businesses across the U.S. grapple with a recently discovered cybersecurity vulnerability found in enterprise applications and cloud services, experts say.
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Hospital safety improvements will outlast COVID-19 |
From allowing patients to sleep longer to instituting daily escalation huddles, there are processes that will likely stick around long after COVID-19’s severe consequences fade because they’ve enhanced safety and quality.
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Federal appeals court reinstates Biden administration’s business vaccine and testing mandate |
A federal appeals court has reinstated the Biden administration’s vaccine and testing requirement for private businesses that covers about 80 million American workers.
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Biden admits social spending bill may not go to a vote until 2022 after objections from moderates |
Democrats are seeking to pass the Build Back Better Act via a procedural tool called reconciliation that enables budgetary legislation to get through the Senate via a simple majority and avoid a legislative filibuster.
However, the Senate parliamentarian must review every provision of the legislation to ensure it meets reconciliation rules.
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CMS to propose new Medicare 'breakthrough' device rule in 2022 |
The Biden administration intends to release its version of a rule on expedited Medicare coverage for breakthrough medical technology next October, according to the Health and Human Services Department's regulatory agenda.
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CMS finalizes new Medicare residency slot implementation |
Hospitals serving the highest-need areas and unserved populations will get priority for new Medicare-funded residency slots, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said in a long-awaited final rule published Friday.
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House passes clinician mental health bill |
Legislation to address the nation's physician burnout crisis is one step closer to becoming law after passing in the House of Representatives Dec. 8.
The legislation would require research into healthcare workers' mental wellness and provide grant funding for healthcare facilities to launch suicide prevention and peer-support programs, among other initiatives.
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5 ways Biden's service-focused executive order will affect healthcare |
The Biden administration wants to improve how the federal government delivers services—including healthcare—to Americans, the White House said in an executive order released Monday morning.
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Rural value-based care initiative faces funding cliff |
The smallest and most rural healthcare providers will soon lose access to help in shifting to value-based care unless Congress steps in.
Over the past five years, rural providers with fewer than 15 clinicians have been increasingly encouraged to participate in the Merit-based Incentive Payment System value-based payment program that provides financial bonuses or penalties. Participating providers must submit data on costs, outcomes, quality and interoperability or risk getting dinged with cuts to Medicare payments. This year, that amounts to a 9% decrease for not taking part in the program.
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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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2022 Mid-Winter Meeting
January 27 – January 29, 2022
Location:
Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
Orlando, Florida
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com |
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