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,
As you can see at the top of this month's newsletter, HCI was awarded 'Top 10 Medical Imaging Consulting/Services' company this past month by Healthcare Tech Outlook. We're honored to accept this award along with the recent 'Best Places to Work' award from Modern Healthcare. When I started HCI, twenty one years ago, I could only dream that we would be providing the services we do today with such an incredibly talented and compassionate team. As we get ready to start the 4th of July holiday weekend, I'm fully aware that building a company is never easy and it requires help from many different directions. Friends, customers, mentors and many more share in helping make HCI successful. Combine that help with living in a nation that not only allows, but encourages small start ups like HCI to take that initial leap of faith and see what happens... we were able to build an enterprise that provides valuable services for the public while providing a great workplace for employees, which is further proof that we live in a country like no other! We are truly blessed to live and work in the USA.
Please enjoy this month's newsletter and Happy Independence Day!
Please enjoy this month's newsletter.
Sincerely,
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Lower socioeconomic status increases CV risk via elevated amygdalar activity
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Patients of lower socioeconomic status had increased amygdalar activity, one of the factors that independently predicted major adverse cardiac events, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Vildagliptin safe in type 2 diabetes with high CV risk
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The DPP-IV inhibitor vildagliptin did not increase the likelihood of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke and other CV outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes and recent CV complications compared with other treatments, according to findings published in the Journal of Diabetes Investigation.
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Myocardial perfusion PET scan predicts cardiac death, especially in diabetes
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Among patients who underwent a stress myocardial perfusion PET scan, increasing magnitude of stress myocardial perfusion abnormality was associated with elevated risk for cardiac death, researchers reported.
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FDA Authorizes Qualified Health Claim for Foods and Supplements with EPA and DHA Omega-3 Fatty Acids
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On June 19, 2019, FDA announced that it would not object to qualified health claims for foods and dietary supplements stating that the consumption of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) may reduce the risk of hypertension and coronary heart disease by lowering blood pressure.
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Sitting at home or at work: Which is worse for heart health?
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New research has found that not all forms of sedentariness are equal when it comes to the extent to which they put heart health at risk.
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Statins May Double Risk of Diabetes
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After adjusting for confounding factors (age, gender, education level, ethnicity, cholesterol and triglyceride readings, body mass index, waist circumference and the number of visits to the doctor) statin users had at least double the risk for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus compared to statin nonusers. Individuals who used statins for the longest period of time (more than 2 years) had an even greater risk (3 times greater) for developing type 2 diabetes mellitus, after adjusting for confounding factors.
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Walking intervention tied to long-term health benefits
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Short-term walking interventions using pedometers resulted in fewer cardiovascular events and fractures after 4 years as well as sustained increases in physical activity in participants, according to study results published in PLOS Medicine.
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One in Four Cardiologists Burned Out
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Few cardiologists in a survey said they liked their jobs, with a majority reporting feelings of stress or burnout. More than 25% of U.S. cardiologists indicated they were burned out, reported Laxmi Mehta, MD, of Ohio State University in Columbus, and colleagues in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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PET/CT detects cardiovascular disease risk factors in obstructive sleep apnea patients
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Research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2019 Annual Meeting draws a strong link between severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and impaired coronary flow reserve, which is an early sign of the heart disease atherosclerosis. Using 13N-ammonia positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT), researchers were able to noninvasively evaluate coronary microvascular function in OSA patients and use their findings to predict cardiovascular disease risk.
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Asynchronous Telehealth Gives Providers An Alternative to DTC Video
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Asynchronous telehealth has often been called a niche service, ideal for specialist consults and certain fields like teledermatology. But the adaptability of store-and-forward telehealth to provider workflows is making it a popular model for a wide variety of direct-to-consumer care programs.
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Cleveland Clinic uses AI, medical records, scans to personalize radiation therapy
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Cleveland Clinic researchers developed an artificial neural network that analyzes lung cancer patients' EHRs and medical scans to determine the most effective radiation dosage for therapy, according to a study published in the Lancet Digital Health.
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Hospital admissions show glimmers of stability amid long-term decline
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Although inpatient admissions have ticked up over the last few months, they remain on a long-term downward trend, which has dented U.S. hospitals' profitability.
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Regulatory skin cancer protein identified
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Researchers have studied a protein that regulates a gene linked to metastasis of malignant melanoma. They suggest their discovery could inform future treatments to prevent the spread of skin cancer.
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PET/MRI can pinpoint causes of chronic extremity pain
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FDG-PET can help boost the detection of abnormalities associated with complex regional pain syndrome when clinicians turn to PET/MRI for diagnosis of the condition, according to a study presented last week at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) annual meeting.
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Recall reinforces role of newly updated compounding regulations
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The recent recall of nearly two dozen drugs manufactured by Premier Pharmacy Labs reinforces the importance of the newly updated compounding regulations. But compounding experts worry it may stifle development in an already precarious supply chain.
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Childhood Brain Tumor Survivors Face More Struggles
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Adult survivors of childhood brain tumors often face intellectual and financial struggles, a new study finds.
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‘It’s Gigantic’: A New Way to Gauge the Chances for Unresponsive Patients
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Doctors have known for years that some patients who become unresponsive after a severe brain injury nonetheless retain a “covert consciousness,” a degree of cognitive function that is important to recovery but is not detectable by standard bedside exams. As a result, a profound uncertainty often haunts the wrenching decisions that families must make when an unresponsive loved one needs life support, an uncertainty that also amplifies national debates over how to determine when a patient in this condition can be declared beyond help.
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Radionuclide therapy effective in high-grade neuroendocrine neoplasms
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Peptide receptor radionuclide therapy (PRRT) has been shown to be safe and effective for patients with grade 3 (G3) neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs), according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's (SNMMI) 66th Annual Meeting.
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New combo prostate cancer therapy shown safe, effective in trial
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Two targeted treatments reduced PSA levels in patients with prostate cancer and had fewer side effects than traditional therapies, according to a study presented Tuesday at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.
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Bracco Imaging to acquire Blue Earth Diagnostics for $450 million
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Bracco Imaging is set to acquire molecular imaging diagnostics enterprise, Blue Earth Diagnostics, from Syncona for $450 million.
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Quarter of hospitals fail to comply with Leapfrog's never-event policy
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About a quarter of hospitals fail to meet the Leapfrog Group's standards in addressing serious patient harm events should they occur, according to a new report.
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Hip, knee surgery readmission rate improvement slows under CMS program
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The expansion of the CMS' long-standing readmissions penalty program to hip and knee replacement procedures didn't lead to significant reductions in 30-day return rates to hospitals, a new study finds.
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EHR messaging, workflow can be redesigned to address burnout, study suggests
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When medical practices began deploying EHRs in the 1990s, the intent was to centralize patient medical histories to maximize efficiency and help avoid errors such as contraindicated medication orders. However, evidence continues to mount that physicians have had their workload divided between seeing patients and inputting data, a factor leading to costly burnouts.
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There's a push to slow down required EHR-PDMP integration
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Health IT groups were generally supportive of revised information technology provisions proposed in the CMS' annual update to the inpatient prospective payment system, but urged the agency to slow potential requirements related to integrating outside programs with electronic health record systems. The public comment period for the CMS' IPPS proposal, which the agency released in April, closed Monday.
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Politics that Affect Medicine
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Federal appeals court refuses to postpone Obamacare appeal
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A federal appeals court on Tuesday refused to delay oral arguments in a high-profile lawsuit seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act. The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals agreed to give the Republican state attorneys general more time to file requested supplemental briefs, but will still consider the case on July 9.
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House Democrats launch investigation into Trump administration's Medicaid changes
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A letter from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to state Medicaid directors currently under review at the White House Office of Management and Budget is expected to provide a road map to red states on how to gain approval from the administration on their requests to cap their Medicaid programs.
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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 calendars now for AHRA 2019 in Denver, CO from July 21-24, 2019. This is a wonderful opportunity to network with 1,000+ medical imaging leaders and 150+ leading industry exhibitors, as well as gain insight into healthcare services, tools, and trends that will impact your patients and facility from over 70+ educational sessions.
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Save the date for RSNA 2019
Join us for our 105th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting, December 1–6, 2019, at McCormick Place in Chicago, IL.
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Annual Scientific Session of the
American Society of Nuclear Cardiology
September 12-15, 2019 | Chicago, Ill.
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com
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