Diagnostic Imaging North America

September 2005

COVER STORY

MQSA Historic success becomes regulatory threat

By: Deborah R. Dakins

DEPARTMENTS

X-RAY VISION

John C. Hayes

Stricter standards threaten access to mammography practice

AGENDA

C. P. Kaiser

We have seen the future of radiology and it looks good-very good

SPECIAL SECTION: Molecular Imaging Outlook, Sponsored by an educational grant from GE Healthcare

• Labeling studies follow human stem cell therapies
• CMIR blazes trail of MI discovery
• Europeans invest in biomedical imaging research
• Two-step amplification technique delivers gene therapy to refractory prostate cancer
• Cry61 gene therapy induces angiogenesis to mitigate myocardial infarction effects
• Focused ultrasound helps exogenous genes permeate targeted cells' outer membrane
• MRS measures elevated metabolite levels indicative of hypoxia in prostate tumors
• MPIO contrast improves MRI's ability to monitor in vivo stem cell tracking

Overread

• Cooperation in coronary CTA may wipe out EBCT
• PET reveals orgasmic metabolism
• Upstart CT angiography eclipses cardiac MRI's rising star
• Cardiac CT images reveal problems outside heart
• 3D PET/CT wins accolades
• Underserved areas call for long-distance US reads
• CAD holds key to increased CT colonography screening
• Amyloid plaques hasten progress of dementia

Newsclips

• CMS wants payment cuts, extends self-referral ban
• Community breast cancer screening comes up short
• Ultrasound training could begin as early as college
• Multislice CT complements ultrasound in GI staging
• Whistleblower alleges fraud at Florida imaging centers

SPECIAL SECTION Computed Tomography

• New 64-slice devices drive radiology to new heights

Malpractice Monitor

• Communication failures present big legal risk

Practice

• Radiologists brace for fallout from crisis of uninsured

Cardiovascular

• Convert imaging turf battles into productive joint ventures

Radiation Safety

• Dose metrics lag behind advances in CT scanners
• History of radiation dose metrics spins heads
• Rads know how to keep dose low

Tech Watch

• 7T scanners move closer to use in clinical research

Perturbations

• Put a name tag on an invisible specialty

PACS & IT Supplement

Informatics News

• Computer programs aid Alzheimer's diagnosis
• Modality upgrades threaten to overwhelm PACS storage
• SCAR embarks on PACS administrator certification
• CMS spells out HIPAA Security Rule
• PACS sidesteps annoying hospital busy signals
• PowerPoint feature creates high-res images
• Radiology triage system improves urgent care
• Voice recognition reduces report turnaround time
• Digital mammography analysts wait for results

Mammography

• Breast informatics drives health system's quality efforts

Teleradiology

• Telehealth establishes value of connectivity in combat

Archiving

• SSPs take on larger role in digital mammography
• InSiteOne tailors services to centers' storage needs
• I3Archive provides data and image distribution

Imaging & The Law

• Teleradiology opens some doors, closes others