Facility Management

Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) systems can flag potential medication errors and cut the number of serious prescribing errors in half. But cost concerns have limited their implementation to fewer than 5% of U.S. hospitals, the director of

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- (HIMSS Conference & Exhibition) -- Kryptiq Corp. announced today that it has released a contract management solution aimed at helping medical insurance payers better manage their contracts with medical care

Virtual colonoscopy catches on as credibility risesLess than two months after the RSNA meeting, Viatronix has leveraged the media attention it received there and the resulting acceptance of virtual colonoscopy to report a surge in

At 7 a.m., a patient with a small, inoperable liver tumor arrives at a community hospital for a previously scheduled radio-frequency ablation. At 8 a.m., he lies in a CT scanner, sedated but conscious. A few minutes later, the interventional radiologist, guided by CT fluoroscopy, inserts a needle into the patient's abdomen. A probe slides through it and opens up, umbrella-like, within the target lesion. Because the patient seems tense, the physician tries some humor, asking before he turns on the electrode, "Medium rare or well done?"

Increased payments could boost equipment salesMost of the attention given the Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement and Modernization Act of 2003, signed into law Dec. 8, has focused on the inclusion of pharmaceuticals. But there

Virtual colonoscopy is gaining in clinical stature as a viable screening tool for colon cancer, with high sensitivity and specificity in detecting colonic polyps. But proper technique and good patient preparation are key to success, according to research presented Monday.

The HIPAA contingency plan devised by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) should allow the industry the additional time it needs to prepare for implementation of the Transaction and Code Sets regulation. But the plan is also crucial to

Negative reactions taint Cordis productThe safety of drug-eluting stents was called into question Oct. 29, when the FDA issued a warning that one such device, the only one approved for sale in the U.S., can cause clotting and

Point-and-shoot CCD technology enhances images instantlyIt would be hard to find an area of radiology less able to afford digital technology than mammography. Low reimbursement rates have strained the budgets of mammographers, yet

PDA-like device based on piezoceramics alternativeFollowing a universal trend to make electronic devices smaller, GE is developing a prototype of a handheld diagnostic ultrasound unit. The system is similar in shape to the popular

On most weekday mornings, Dr. Arjun Kalyanpur can be found in his Bangalore, India, office performing imaging diagnoses for dozens of hospitals in the U.S. CT and ultrasound studies from as many as 35 hospitals flash across his workstation screen.With

Eline Entertainment Group of Knoxville, TN, opened its first MRI center in August. The 4400-square-foot Okeechobee Imaging Center, located in West Palm Beach, FL, and equipped with a GE Profile 3 open MRI, is part of a new initiative by Eline

Equipped with a GE Lightspeed and staffed by two board-certified radiologists, a new imaging center has begun offering heart, lung, and full-body CTs in the Detroit suburb of Warren. For the first three months of operation, center directors are selling

It's time for the professional community, including the RSNA and the American College of Radiology, to develop guidelines for self-referred whole-body CT screening, according to researchers at Stanford University.Using results of a study of U.S.-based

PACS involves difficult decisions for even the largest hospitals, but smaller outpatient imaging centers often find dealing with PACS purchasing questions even more perplexing.Problems faced by stand-alone imaging center administrators differ from

Hospitals throughout Western Europe increasingly rely on aging medical imaging hardware, as squeezed healthcare budgets and a lack of long-term financial planning keep the lid on regular upgrades and replacements. The slide toward outdated equipment may

PACS is flourishing in some parts of Asia, nourished as much by economic necessity and local medical custom as by desire for filmless imaging.South Korea leads the curve. Annual spurts of PACS growth there reached 183% or more in 2000, 2001, and 2002,

A year ago, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital, guided by digital x-rays transmitted from the South Pole, helped a physician at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station surgically repair the damaged knee of a meteorologist overwintering in

Researchers present last of clinical results at ISMRM meetingJudgment day is rapidly approaching for Epix Medical. Luminaries have completed four clinical trials aimed at determining the safety and efficacy of the Cambridge, MA,

A year ago, surgeons at Massachusetts General Hospital, guided by digital x-rays transmitted from the South Pole, helped a physician at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station surgically repair the damaged knee of a meteorologist overwintering in

By Greg Freiherr, Editor, gfreiherr@cmp.comWe tend to look at technology as a problem solver. And in many instances it is. Faster, cheaper, better solutions are natural

Expansion falls short of advocates' hopesReimbursement typically lags behind the march of imaging technology. But slowly, some would say grudgingly, Medicare and Medicaid have begun to catch up. As April drew to a close, the

Execs cite deteriorating reimbursement, intensifying competitionCerner Corporation issued an earnings warning April 3, sending a shiver down the corporate spine of the IT industry. The diminished performance is a reflection of

In the face of a radiologist shortage, many radiology operations, from small private-practice groups to large university centers, are relying on nighthawks to staff night shifts. International "nighthawk" teleradiology is one solution, exploiting time

Future growth depends on improved educationAurora Imaging Technology is on the rebound. The North Andover, MA, company installed five dedicated MR mammography scanners over the last six months, according to Steven James, Aurora's