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 -
To some, it might not seem smart to quit a great job and start a company...especially with a one year old baby in diapers, no office space, and no customers ready to go. But, it was one of the easiest decisions I've ever made. My wife, MaryLynn was 100% supportive and we had a vision of how we could help physicians, hospitals, and patients. We knew our idea was unique and better than what was being offered by others because it was based on great values.
The year was 1998 - a search engine called Google was launched, Apple unveiled the iMac, Microsoft released Windows 98,
the DOW closed at 9181, the EU created a currency called the 'Euro, and HeartCare Imaging was founded. As I prepared for this month's newsletter and was excited to comment on our 20th anniversary, I just had to go back and look at what happened in 1998! In many respects, the world hasn't changed that much: there were numerous natural disasters, conflicts in the Middle East, and political turmoil at home. As noted above, there was a technology revolution brewing and there would be much change coming at us...as we still hadn't seen the iPhone and e-marketing was in its infancy. In our industry, PET Imaging was just getting started, and faster computing with incredible memory enhancements would significantly change the way we not only image but report and share findings.
One thing that stayed constant at HCI though was our desire to live by the Core Values that were established at the time of our formation. (I've listed them at the bottom of this letter). We adhere to these values every day and by doing so we've been able to continue to grow as a company and as people within the company. They allowed us to get through a difficult recession by working with our customers to mutually find a way to make sure we were providing world class care in a difficult economic environment. They've allowed us to come out of the recession, expand across the US, and have our best year ever in 2017. These values have allowed us to attract the very best colleagues and be selected as one of Modern Healthcare's 'Best Places to Work'. These values seem to be shared by our customers... which is probably, why we have so many long term relationships that are numbered in decades vs. years. So, at the beginning of our 20th anniversary, I would like to say thank you to everyone that has been a part of this great journey. I'm so happy MaryLynn and I made the 'easy' decision 20 years ago. And, we want everyone to know,
w
e're just getting started!
HEART CARE IMAGING CORE VALUES
1.
ASTONISH CUSTOMERS and PATIENTS
- Our primary reason for being is to amaze and always exceed customer and patient expectations with our service and support
- We are a responsive company: always possess a sense urgency – take action
- EVERYTHING we do centers around servicing customers and patients
- We provide solutions, not just services, be resourceful - we encourage creative thinking and innovative solutions
2.
DO THE RIGHT THING
- Always do what’s in the customer’s best interest
- Use your best judgment
- Always follow the highest standards of ethics and integrity
- Take pride in everything you do – DETAILS matter!
- Teamwork is essential – we always work together as one team
- Always be a professional
- We contribute to our communities
3.
You ARE the TEAM
- Our company IS our people
- We recruit the BEST
- Knowledge is our advantage – continuing education is essential
- Treat your colleagues with respect and dignity
- Develop a genuine excitement about the great company that we are building
- Our team has an infectious desire to succeed
4.
WE WILL NOT BE DETERRED
- We always compete aggressively
- Never say we can’t
- Set high goals
- We will overcome major obstacles, they are merely bumps in the road
- We will vigorously fight to win against industry giants
5.
HAVE FUN
- Don’t take yourself too seriously
- Work hard, play hard
- Maintain balance in your life
Best Regards,
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Those with 'Obesity Genes' May Gain Most From Healthy Eating
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A new study suggests that even those who carry an inherited predisposition to pack on excess pounds are not destined to become obese. In fact, researchers say it can be avoided over time by adopting a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and unencumbered by salt, sugar, alcohol and red meat.
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Early Menarche, Menopause Tied to Higher CVD Risk
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Several reproductive factors contributed to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease among women, including early periods and early menopause, researchers found. A history of hysterectomy was also linked with increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and coronary heart disease, reported Sanne AE Peters, PhD, and Mark Woodward, PhD, both of the University of Oxford in England.
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Severe Hypoglycemic Events Tied to Increased Risk for CV Events
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Adults with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease who experience a severe hypoglycemic episode are at increased risk for a nonfatal CV event or hospitalization for unstable angina, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke or heart failure, study data show.
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Weight-Loss Drugs Have Little Effect on Cardiometabolic Profile
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The five weight-loss medications now on the market have only “modest” effects on cardiometabolic risk profile, according to a new systematic review and network meta-analysis.
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Rising AFib Risk Scores Strongly Predict Stroke
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For assessing stroke risk, changes in validated atrial fibrillation risk predictors over time are far more accurate than baseline predictors alone, a study showed.
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Life In Poor Neighborhoods is Hard on the Heart
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In addition to people's income and education level, the neighborhood in which they lived helped predict their risk, according to the researchers. People living in the poorest areas were at highest risk for heart failure, the researchers found.
The availability of gyms, places to buy healthy foods and medical facilities accounted for nearly 5 percent of the increased heart failure risk in low-income areas, the study suggested. The researchers noted that improving access to these resources could benefit people living in these neighborhoods.
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Bariatric Surgery Helps Teens with Severe Obesity Reduce Heart Disease Risk
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After three years, teens with severe obesity who underwent stomach reduction surgery to lose weight also significantly improved their heart health.
A study published Monday in Pediatrics shows that blood pressure, cholesterol, inflammation and insulin levels all improved, particularly among those who lost the most weight.
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Middle-Aged and Out of Shape? It's Not Too Late Save Your Heart
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Middle-aged couch potatoes who worked out four or five days a week -- including a couple of days of high-intensity aerobics -- for two years experienced a notable decrease in the stiffness of their heart muscle, the researchers found.
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Stroke Risk Confirmed in SLE
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The most common cerebrovascular events (CVEs) seen among a large cohort of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) were stroke and transient ischemia, and the majority of these events were attributable to the disease itself, a multinational study determined.
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FDA Approves First Drug for Tumors Tied to Breast Cancer Genes
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The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved the first drug aimed at treating metastatic breast cancers linked to the BRCA gene mutation. These mutated genes, called BRCA1 and BRCA2, first came to prominence in 2013 when actress and director Angelina Jolie announced she'd undergone a preventive double mastectomy. Jolie said she carried the BRCA1 gene, which greatly raises a woman's odds for breast and ovarian cancers. Now, the FDA says it is expanding approval of Lynparza (olaparib) to include use against BRCA-linked tumors that have spread beyond the breast.
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Researchers Find a Way to "Starve" Cancer
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Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have demonstrated for the first time that it is possible to starve a tumor and stop its growth with a newly discovered small compound that blocks uptake of the vital nutrient glutamine.
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Alzheimer's Disease Variants Linked to Brain Amyloidosis
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"This study found an association of several AD risk variants with brain amyloidosis," the authors write. "The data also suggest that AD genes might differentially regulate AD pathologic findings across the disease stages."
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Oral Micobiome Tied to H&N Cancer Risk
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A greater abundance of certain bacteria in the oral microbiome were associated with a decreased risk of head and neck squamous cell cancer (HNSCC) in several patient cohorts, according to investigators.
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Artificial Intelligence Guides Lower PET Tracer Dose
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Researchers from Stanford University may have taken a step toward accomplishing that goal. They trained a deep-learning algorithm to process ultralow-dose PET image data and then create synthetic images that approximate PET scans acquired using a standard radiotracer dose. The synthetic images yielded comparable image quality to standard full-dose exams, according to lead author Enhao Gong.
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Screening, Treatment Cut Breast Cancer Deaths in Half
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"Advances in screening and treatment are saving lives," said lead researcher Sylvia Plevritis, a professor of radiology and biomedical data science at the Stanford University School of Medicine. "Here's an example that all this investment in research and discovery has had a real benefit. This has translated into making a difference."
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Working Night Shift May Raise Women's Odds for Cancer
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"Our study indicates that night-shift work serves as a risk factor for common cancers in women," said study author Xuelei Ma. He is an oncologist in the State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center at West China Medical Center of Sichuan University, China.
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ADHD: Could Maternal Depression be the Cause?
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In short, ADHD was more commonly found in the offspring of depressed mothers, and their symptoms were significantly worse.
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New PET Radiotracer Offers Insight into Multiple Sclerosis
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Combining PET scans with a novel radiotracer could help researchers track damage to myelin in the brain, providing insight into the treatment of multiple sclerosis (MS) as well as the development of other disorders, according to a preclinical study published online January 12 in Scientific Reports.
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Long-Term Brain Rhythms Offer Possibility of Predicting Seizures
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Centuries ago, humans believed that seizures were tied to the lunar cycle. Although scientific evidence for this association is scarce, physicians have long suspected that temporal patterns connected with epilepsy may exist. These days, the condition’s
link to our sleep-wake cycles
, or circadian rhythms, is well-documented, primarily through observations that seizures are more prevalent at night or tend to occur at specific times of day. Scientists now report the existence of seizure-associated brain rhythms with longer periods, most commonly within the 20- to 30-day range, in a study published today (January 8) in
Nature Communications
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NFL Allocates more than $17 Million to Fund Research into Concussions and Brain Health
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The NFL has reallocated more than $17 million of funding for research into concussions and the effects of brain injuries after a dispute last year related to funding for research by the National Institutes of Health.
The funding now will be divided among research done by the Department of Defense, TRACK-TBI (a study funded by the NIH) and the National Institute on Aging, a branch of the NIH, according to the NFL.
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Inside the Global Relay Race to Deliver Moly-99
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Nuclear medicine imaging, a staple of American health care since the 1970s, runs almost entirely on Molybdenum-99, a radioisotope produced by nuclear fission of enriched uranium that decays so rapidly it becomes worthless within days. But moly-99, as it’s called, is created in just six government-owned nuclear research reactors — none in North America — raising concerns about the reliability of the supply and even prompting federal scientists to warn of the possibility of severe shortages.
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Cyclopharma Appoints New Chief Executive Officer
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Clermont-Ferrand (France) and Indianapolis (United-States), January 10, 2017 - Cyclopharma today announced that its Board has approved a change in the company’s US leadership. Peter Webner is appointed as CEO of Cyclopharma US Corp, effective Jan. 1st, 2018, while Bernard Landes will remain Chairman of the Board.
Peter Webner will drive the development of Cyclopharma’s pipeline of new companion diagnostic PET tracers for oncology in the US. His first objective will be to ensure EstroTep’s US FDA submission and approval and access to the US market by the end of 2019. EstroTep is a PET tracer approved for use in France which is indicated in metastatic breast cancer.
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Adopting Big Data Analytics, Precision Medicine Drives Quality Care
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The adoption of big data analytics, precision medicine, and digital health innovations will change healthcare delivery, according to the American College of Cardiology.
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Politics that Affect Medicine
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CMS Launches New Voluntary Bundled-Payment Model
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The CMS announced Tuesday a new voluntary bundled-payment model that will be considered an advanced alternative payment model under MACRA.
The Bundled Payments for Care Improvement-Advanced Model includes 32 clinical-care episodes that providers can choose from, 29 of which are in the inpatient setting and three in the outpatient setting.
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MSSP Accountable Care Organizations Moving to Risk in 2018
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According to a new fact sheet from CMS, the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP) will see some fresh faces in 2018, as well as more accountable care organizations (ACOs) entering downside financial risk tracks.
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Nine States Ready to Require Jobs for Medicaid Enrollees
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Nine states are planning to implement work requirements for their Medicaid enrollees, following Kentucky, which on Friday became the first place in the country to be approved to create such a program.
Arizona, Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Maine, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin have submitted their own proposals, though some will have to work with federal officials to make sure their requests fit the guidelines laid out Thursday by the Trump administration. States have varying requests, according to a Washington Examiner review of Medicaid waiver requests filed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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Court Battle Brewing Over Work Rules for Medicaid
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A battle is brewing in the courts over the Trump administration's move to let states impose work requirements for recipients of Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.
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Trump to Order Better Access to Mental Health Care for Veterans
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President Donald Trump will instruct federal agencies Tuesday to improve access to mental health care for veterans during the first year after they leave the armed forces, administration officials said.
Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin said about 20 veterans a day commit suicide, calling it an “unacceptable number.”
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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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