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How long will we accept patients languishing in the ER as normal? (asks a firsthand witness to ‘boarding’ who’s also a distinguished journalist and an erstwhile ER doctor)

Boarding is hospital-speak for when patients get left in the emergency department, typically on gurneys or in wheelchairs, for many hours—sometimes days—because no inpatient beds are available.

FDA, CMS unveil rapid Medicare coverage pathway for critical medical devices

Prior to the new “RAPID” program announced on Thursday, it could take a year or more for Breakthrough-designated medical devices to earn approval for Medicare coverage. Now regulators say that timeline could be reduced to as little as two months.

Nicklaus Children’s Hospital patent ductus arteriosus (PDA) closure

First bedside procedure of its kind performed by traveling clinicians on premature infant

The 22-week-old patient was successfully treated by a traveling cardiologist—all without being transported to the cath lab.

Harmony Reynolds, MD, FACC, director of the cardiovascular clinical research center at NYU Langone Health, presented a study at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2026 meeting using coronary optical coherence tomography (OCT) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to determine sex differences in underlying causes of myocardial infarction with no obstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA).

Researchers use multi-modality imaging to learn more about MINOCA

The combination of OCT and MRI can help provide an improved sense of clarity when managing MINOCA patients, according to new data presented at ACC.26 in New Orleans.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted market clearance for Biotronik's Acticor Sky and Rivacor Sky implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator (CRT-D) systems. The new technology will be launches at the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS) annual meeting this week. #HRS2026

FDA approves 2 implantable heart devices from Biotronik

These devices were built to provide better patient data and improve clinician workflows. They will be on display at Heart Rhythm 2026 in Chicago.

Trump administration moves to speed up Medicare coverage for breakthrough cardiology devices

CMS and the FDA say the goal is to improve patient access to medical devices that address an unmet need.

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New case law could put radiologists on hook for imaging-order appropriateness

“Radiologists should exercise caution when implementing...protocoling workﬂows that bypass independent radiologist review," one expert writes in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Interventional radiologists launch new chain of standalone outpatient IR centers

Co-founders Jonathan Steinberger, MD, and Gabriel Lipshutz, MD, are starting Elmnt IR with an initial location in Los Angeles and more to follow.

UnitedHealthcare drops most prior authorizations in rural areas as part of improvement initiative

The insurance giant has been piloting a program to speed up reimbursement to hospitals in 10 states, reducing delays by roughly 50%. Now, the company said it will work to lift prior authorization barriers on patient care delivery. The intent is to roll out these changes nationwide by the end of 2026, UnitedHealthcare confirmed.

Healthcare AI often arrives with great expectations only to disappoint end-users as well as execs. Why is that?

By and large, U.S. hospitals and health systems do not have an AI adoption problem. But many—if not most—have an execution problem: They struggle to turn a set of installed AI tools into a measurable operational value.

Healthcare administrators: Need help holding PCPs accountable? Here it is from focus-group research

Family physicians and other primary care providers don’t mind being held to account for care quality by healthcare administrators. The rub is that multiple other stakeholders often demand similar levels of answerability, pulling the doctors in different directions at once.

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Interventional radiologist launches AI-powered, IR-specific decision support platform

Developed by a board-certified diagnostic and interventional radiologist, the platform was trained using subspecialty data that general AI applications typically lack.

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Health Exec

How long will we accept patients languishing in the ER as normal? (asks a firsthand witness to ‘boarding’ who’s also a distinguished journalist and an erstwhile ER doctor)

Boarding is hospital-speak for when patients get left in the emergency department, typically on gurneys or in wheelchairs, for many hours—sometimes days—because no inpatient beds are available.