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Patients electing to undergo a whole-body MRI at one Florida facility are now able to undergo a CCTA exam at the same time. All results are interpreted by a cardiologist, and the patient meets with a physician for a one-on-one consultation.  

Medicare fraud

The years-long scheme involved sending kickbacks to physicians who ordered unnecessary transcranial doppler exams. Two conspirators have now been sentenced to prison and ordered to pay substantial fines.

Matthew Summers, MD, FACC, program director for structural heart, Sentara Heart Hospital, Norfolk, Virginia, explains how his center used a new transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) 3D CT planning software to better identify patients who are at high risk of complications. The software also enables the heart team to test the best placement of various valves to create a procedure plan tailored for each patients unique anatomy.

Serious complications are rare after TAVR, but they can be catastrophic or fatal when they do occur. The care team at Sentara Heart Hospital found that bringing in new 3D software made it much easier to plan ahead for such issues. 

simulation of the conduction pathway relative to various cardiac structures.

The newly cleared CARA System from Cara Medical was designed to help clinicians before and during a variety of cardiac procedures. It provides a personalized 3D map of the patient's cardiac conduction system and then overlays that map onto live fluoroscopic images.

money stocks

The government watchdog analyzed about 153 million radiology claims from a five-year period for its new report to Congress, with lawmakers now advocating for change. 

radiology clock alarm turnaround time efficiency

Oulu University Hospital lost one of its MRI after relocation and consolidation but was able to maintain output with the help of deep-learning technology. 

The money was meant for Minnesota, where criminals were indicted for abusing the Medicaid system to run bogus daycare centers. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services did not specify how the state can rectify the situation to the Trump administration’s satisfaction. 

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The recall has been designated as the most serious, Class I, but the issue can be remedied with a software update. The affected devices are Ivenix Large Volume Pumps manufactured by Fresenius Kabi.

Friederike Keating, MD, professor of medicine at the Larner College of Medicine, and director of nuclear cardiology at University of Vermont Health, said artificial intelligence (AI) in medical imaging may actually increase costs and make workflows less efficient in some instances. She said this is a key thing for health systems and policy makers to keep in mind if there is not clear data showing it helps.

AI has shown the potential to transform patient care. However, there are more details to consider than many health systems and policymakers realize. 

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Officials are examining how a radiologist's CT findings may have played a part in the untimely death, as the doctor did not notate "swirling of the mesentery" in his interpretation. 

The new AHA initiative is being funded in part by a $1 million donation made by Jennifer Ashton, MD, who became a household name thanks to years of appearances on ABC News, Good Morning America and The Dr. Oz Show, and her husband, TV producer Tom Werner. Ashton is a board-certified OB-GYN and nutrition specialist. She worked as the chief medical correspondent for ABC News and Good Morning America for several years. She is also an author, columnist and longtime AHA volunteer.

Jennifer Ashton, MD, an OB-GYN who became a household name thanks to years of appearances on ABC News and Good Morning America, hopes this new initiative can help cardiologists learn more about such topics as menopause and hormone therapy. 

weight loss surgery bariatric Roux-en-Y gastric bypass and sleeve gastrectomy

Both treatment options were found to be effective in a new meta-analysis of nearly 20,000 patients.  Surgery, however, had the most substantial long-term impact.

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Patients electing to undergo a whole-body MRI at one Florida facility are now able to undergo a CCTA exam at the same time. All results are interpreted by a cardiologist, and the patient meets with a physician for a one-on-one consultation.