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31,000 Kaiser Permanente employees prepare to strike, citing staffing issues and low pay

The health system said it offered a “historic” 21.5% raise as part of a new contract, but it’s been unable to reach an agreement with union officials. Workers are expected to walk off the job starting Jan. 26.

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CMS releases ‘improper payment’ data, showing a small rise for Medicare Advantage

Traditional fee-for-service Medicare saw a slight dip in improper payments, which are usually associated with documentation errors and now outright fraud. CMS also released data on Medicaid and the CHIP program.

Software glitch prompts FDA recall of popular PET systems

The recall was issued due to the potential for the systems to produce artifacts during PET exams.

New-look heart failure treatment shows early promise

Reducing the activity of a specific protein could provide significant relief for many heart failure patients.

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Study details 'major shift' in procedural workload burdens

“Understanding how these national patterns manifest within radiology departments is critical for optimizing staffing, credentialing, and quality improvement initiatives,” authors of a new analysis in Academic Radiology contend.

Most urgent head CTs for older adults provide little value

New findings suggest that the majority of older adults (65+) with lower risk head injuries do not have positive findings on CT imaging.

Vascular surgeon indicted for murder of ex-wife and her husband

Michael McKee is accused of making the journey from Illinois to Ohio and then shooting the two victims in their home on Dec. 30. He was arrested after surveillance footage showed his car at the scene before and after the murders.

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Post-TAVR echocardiography helps predict a patient’s long-term risk of SVD

Postprocedural gradients can tell cardiologists a lot about a patient's long-term risk of structural valve deterioration.

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Minnesota radiology group will pay $2M to settle class action lawsuit over data breach

The incident occurred in February 2024, with hackers hitting Eden Prairie-based Consulting Radiologists.

Artificial intelligence sign in the United Imaging booth. The Chinese company wants to break into the U.S. market and has a massive booth footprint at RSNA 2023. This included a section for its own AI development division. Photo by Dave Fornell #RSNA

AI briefing: Hyped AI goes to the hospital | Is healthcare AI sustainable? | US & Israel power up AI partnership | more

Just because a healthcare AI product gets loudly promoted doesn’t mean its claims are bogus. The salient question is whether or not it performs as well in a clinical setting as it did in a research lab—or in a marketer’s mind.

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Missouri becomes latest plaintiff in lawsuits against PBMs, drug companies over skyrocketing insulin prices

The Missouri complaint mirrors those brought by the Federal Trade Commission, the state of Texas and Philadelphia-based Jefferson Health, among others, in that it’s focused on alleged collusion between pharmacy benefit managers and drug companies to control the price of insulin.

MRI findings reveal how spaceflight changes the brain

New data suggest that spending an extended period of time in a zero-gravity environment causes the brain to become somewhat displaced.

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Health Exec

31,000 Kaiser Permanente employees prepare to strike, citing staffing issues and low pay