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 Colleagues –
MaryLynn and I just returned from a wonderful vacation trip to France. While there was some concern with traveling internationally, we found that the fantastic experiences were more than worth any perceived risk. Europe is open for business and, as Americans, we felt very welcome. Life in France is getting back to some normalcy…even if it’s the new normal. Visiting a foreign country is always challenging. It helps to be aware of the customs, cuisine, laws, etc. for the trip to be as enjoyable as possible. One of the larger challenges is speaking a language that might not be your first…and one in which you aren’t proficient. I was determined to do my best to communicate in French and tried to compliment my high school French by doing daily online language training through ‘Duolingo’. I didn’t miss a day for months and felt somewhat prepared when we landed in France. However, I was not quite as fluent as I thought!…but was determined try to communicate in French. I found there is one expression that I could start every sentence with that would open the ears of those that I was trying to speak with in a way that had them wanting to help me. That expression was ‘S’il vous plait’ or please. I was amazed that every time I said it, the person I was addressing would look up wanting to help. What a lesson I learned! I don’t mean a French language lesson, but a lesson that in any language that people want to help if we ask in the right way. This is something that I will keep with me and definitely continue to use and promote no matter where I am. While my command of the French language still needs a lot of work, we created great memories that started with ‘S’il vous plait’.
S'il vous plait profiter de la newsletter de ce mois et a bentot!
Best regards,
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American Society of Nuclear Cardiology urges Congress to speed prior authorizations, repeal AUC mandate |
Over the past few weeks, members of ASNC’s Health Policy Committee have held meetings with their members of Congress. One of the key messages to Congress has focused on requesting co-sponsorship of the Improving Seniors’ Timely Access to Care Act (S. 3018 and H.R. 3173). The bill is aimed at protecting seniors citizens from delays and interruptions in care that result from the prior authorization process in the Medicare Advantage (MA) program.
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New multi-society recommendations highlight role of non-invasive imaging in evaluating coronary artery disease |
A new, multi-society document, "Non-Invasive Imaging in Coronary Syndromes", focuses on how multiple imaging techniques can evaluate different aspects of coronary artery disease (CAD), all without the need for invasive angiograms in the cath lab. The document also explains the importance of choosing the proper imaging test depending on the patient characteristics, clinical scenario and expertise at each imaging center.
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Bariatric surgery cuts risk for CV events, death in older adults with obesity |
Bariatric surgery is associated with significantly lower risk for MI, new-onset HF and death among older adults with obesity, regardless of diabetes status, according to an analysis of Medicare beneficiary data.
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People with severe mental illness have increased risk of cardiovascular-related mortality |
Compared to the general population, people with severe mental illness, including schizophrenia, have higher levels of cardiovascular-related mortality, and that association has become stronger over recent decades, according to a new study publishing April 19th in PLOS Medicine by Amanda Lambert of the University of Birmingham, UK, and colleagues.
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Traffic noise linked to higher risk of heart attack, study says |
People who live in neighbourhoods with constant traffic noise are at higher risk of hospitalization for heart attacks compared with those who live in quieter areas, according to a recently published population-based study out of Rutgers University.
The paper, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology in March, is among the first of its kind that specifically looks at North American data, according to researchers, with the results aligning with previous European studies that have documented similar associations between heart disease and transportation noise pollution.
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Low BP & HbA1c Protective Against Incident CVD in Type 1 DM Patients: EURODIAB study |
Cardiovascular diseases (CVD), such as myocardial infarction and stroke, are among the most important complications of diabetes. Although there has been a decrease in the rate of cardiovascular complication in type 1 diabetes populations worldwide, these diabetic individuals have a higher risk of complications than the general population.
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Low Pulmonary Artery Pulsatility Index May Identify High Risk for Cardiovascular Disease |
Patients with low pulmonary artery pulsatility index (PAPi) have a greater risk of all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiac events, and heart failure (HF) hospitalizations, with the highest risk in the lowest quartile. These finding were published in Circulation: Heart Failure.
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Insomnia increases risk of major cardiovascular events, study finds |
Researchers have found that people with coronary heart disease who experience insomnia two to 36 months after a cardiac event have an increased risk of a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE). MACE includes cardiovascular death, hospitalisation due to a heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
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Higher blood fats more damaging than presumed |
For people with metabolic diseases, increased fat in the blood puts stress on muscle cells. This reaction is caused by changes outside the cell which harm their structure and function.
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Maternal Folic Acid Supplementation May Lower Risk of Congenital Heart Disease |
Maternal folic acid (FA) supplementation seems to be associated with a decreased risk of congenital heart disease (CHD), the heterogeneity of this association, however, is significantly high, says a recent study in the Nutrition Journal This suggests the need for further investigation of the real relationship between maternal FA supplementation and CHD with well-designed clinical studies and biological experiments.
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Penn State researchers receive more than $3 million to develop new-look artificial heart |
The Penn State College of Medicine has received more than $3 million from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute to develop an implantable, wireless artificial heart that can last for at least 10 years.
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Asthma, other allergies linked to a higher risk of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease |
A history of allergic disorders — including asthma, digestive allergies and skin allergies — is associated with a heightened risk of high blood pressure and/or coronary heart disease, according to a new analysis of more than 34,000 adult patients.
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New Cancer Diet Studies Confirm Effects of Veggies and Red Meat |
A pair of new studies offers more evidence for the value of vegetables and the risk of red meat on the cancer prevention front. Researchers report that high consumption of vegetables – especially lettuce, legumes, and cruciferous varieties – appears to lower the risk of liver cancer/liver disease. A separate team suggests that high consumption of red meat, organ meats, and processed meats boosts the risk of gastric cancer.
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Spine Implants May Help Clear Up Orthostatic Hypotension |
Electrical implants in the spine can clear up feelings of lightheadedness upon standing — the result of a condition called orthostatic hypotension — in people with neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease, new research shows.
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Race Plays Huge Role in Dementia Risk |
Black, Hispanic and Asian Americans have an increased risk of being diagnosed with dementia as they age -- for reasons that are not entirely understood, a large new study finds.
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Neurodevelopment in infants with CHD may be predicted in utero |
Selective impairments in regional fetal brain growth predicted adverse development among infants with congenital heart disease, according to study findings presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting.
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Machine learning model quickly and accurately predicts outcomes for TBI patients |
A new study published in Radiology highlights the accuracy of a machine learning model that combines clinical data with imaging from head CT scans in individuals with severe traumatic brain injuries (sTBI) to quickly predict 6-month outcomes. Researchers trained the fusion model on multiple CT scanning protocols while also incorporating data, such as patients’ vital signs, blood tests and heart function. This resulted in a model performance that surpassed that of three experienced neurosurgeons when predicting patient mortality.
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Rare ACTH-producing Prostate Tumor Leads to Cushing’s Diagnosis |
A man developed Cushing’s syndrome that was caused by a tumor in his prostate gland, according to a report from Singapore.
He did not present the usual symptoms of Cushing’s, but instead appeared to have a severe excess of cortisol, the body’s main stress hormone. His symptoms included lower-than-normal potassium levels in the blood (hypokalemia), swelling, and weakness in the lower limbs. This resulted in a delay in being diagnosed and treated.
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Dementia risk slightly increased in older patients with atopic eczema |
“Chronic inflammation has emerged as an important predictor and mechanism involved in the onset and progression of the neuropathological changes observed in dementia,” Alexa Magyari, MS, of the University of California Berkley School of Public Health, and colleagues wrote. “Studies have found links between other chronic inflammatory conditions and dementia, but little is known about the role of atopic eczema, which is now recognized to affect a large proportion of older adults.”
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Familial hypercholesterolemia, long-term statin use not linked to risk for dementia |
“Cardiovascular disease risk factors are important in the development of dementia,” Liv J. Mundal, MD, MHA, PhD, of the department of endocrinology, morbid obesity and preventive medicine at Oslo University Hospital in Norway, and colleagues wrote. “One-third of all dementia cases may be associated with CVD risk factors and may, therefore, be preventable. There is a positive association between levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and dementia risk.”
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Women responded better than men to early Alzheimer's intervention, study found |
After age and genetics, being a woman is the single most important risk factor for developing Alzheimer's disease, experts say.
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Can AI-Powered Mammography Screening be a Game Changer? |
In a retrospective study involving mammography screening in over 114,000 women, researchers found that an artificial intelligence model had comparable specificity and sensitivity to radiologist screenings, reduced false positive results by 25 percent and reduced radiologist workload by more than 62 percent.
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Prostatectomy Bed MRI Possibly Predictive in Recurrent Prostate Cancer |
In men with biochemical recurrence (BCR) after radical surgery for prostate cancer, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the prostatectomy bed might provide information useful for treatment, investigators suggest.
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Improving Prostate Cancer Screening Accessibility, Population Health |
Researchers developed rapid prostate cancer screening kits to improve population health for groups impacted by health inequality by data analytics.
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New Research Explores Diabetes Progression Rate in Older Adults with Prediabetes |
New data suggest the estimated annual progression rate (APR) to diabetes in older adults with prediabetes identified by hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) was 5.3% across various health care organizations.
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AI tool accurately predicts tumour regrowth in cancer patients |
Doctors and scientists have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can accurately predict how likely tumours are to grow back in cancer patients after they have undergone treatment.
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Black, Hispanic women with vitamin D deficiency may be at higher risk for breast cancer |
Black/African American and Hispanic/Latina women who have low vitamin D concentrations may be more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer than those with adequate concentrations, according to a study published in Cancer.
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Dementia Prevalence May Be Reduced by Improving Vision |
The population attributable fraction -- the proportion of dementia cases that potentially would be prevented if a risk factor was eliminated -- of vision impairment was 1.8% in the 2018 Health and Retirement Study, representing more than 100,000 prevalent cases, wrote Joshua Ehrlich, MD, MPH, of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, and co-authors in a JAMA Neurology brief report.
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PET superior to MRI for meningioma treatment planning |
PET imaging with a gallium-68 (Ga-68)-based radiotracer is more precise than standard MRI for detecting meningiomas targeted for radiotherapy, according to a study published April 20 in the International Journal of Radiation, Oncology, Biology, Physics.
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HHS warns of 'exceptionally aggressive' ransomware threat |
A cybersecurity center at the Health and Human Services Department is warning healthcare and public health organizations to guard against an "exceptionally aggressive" ransomware group that encrypts and steals data from its victims.
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POOR EHR EXPERIENCE LINKED TO HIGHER CLINICIAN TURNOVER |
A KLAS survey found that dissatisfaction with electronic health records (EHR) is more likely to result in clinician resignations.
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Medicare cuts squeeze rural hospitals |
Sequestration's Medicare payment cuts will have a disproportionate impact on small, rural hospitals, new reports show, and the cuts will soon get deeper.
A 1% reduction to all Medicare payments via sequestration kicked in April 1, after Congress suspended the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. The cuts will scale up to 2% on July 1; an additional 4% Medicare reimbursement reduction is slated for 2023 via the Pay-As-You-Go Act.
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New Surprise Billing Arbitration Guidance May Give Docs More Wiggle Room |
CMS updated guidance on the heavily disputed aspects of an arbitration process for resolving payment disagreements between insurers and providers under the No Surprises Act.
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Hospitals to receive a proposed 3.2% payment increase in 2023 |
General acute care hospitals are projected to get a 3.2% increase in operating payment rates under the Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System and Long-Term Care Hospital Prospective Payment System proposed rule released Monday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
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CMS suggests 1,495 total changes to the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code set in the FY 2023 IPPS proposed rule. |
Brain illness and injury, with a focus on dementia-related diagnoses, occupy a high volume of the 1,495 proposed changes to the ICD-10-CM diagnosis code set by CMS in the fiscal year (FY) 2023 inpatient prospective payment system (IPPS) proposed rule.
At the same time, CMS also introduced a minimal amount of new ICD-10-PCS procedure codes, including codes for reporting knee joint replacements.
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5 ways CMS' proposed hospital rule could affect patient safety and quality |
Through its proposed Hospital Inpatient Prospective Payment System rule, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is building on administration-level priorities to better assess disparities in healthcare quality and improve patient outcomes.
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CMS proposes 5 Medicare special enrollment periods |
Medicare beneficiaries experiencing specific illnesses or circumstances could soon get Part B coverage outside the normal open enrollment periods under a proposed rule released Friday.
Individuals who are impacted by an emergency or disaster, formerly incarcerated people and those subject to a health plan or employer error that prevented them from enrolling in Medicare on time could get coverage during special enrollment periods under the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services proposal.
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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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Capsid Consulting's mission is to enhance the Infection Prevention (IP) and Antibiotic Stewardship Program (ASP) in long term care facilities around the United States via teleconsulting. Through our sister company, PraxisID, we support rural hospitals and clinics by providing full-time Infectious Disease staff to participate in patient care via telehealth as well as any other critical Infectious Disease needs. |
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com |
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