Approximately 72,000 people died in the U.S. last year as a result of an opioid overdose. While Americans and lawmakers both agree that more needs to be done to improve the opioid abuse epidemic, the FDA approved yet another potent opioid on Nov. 2.

The Duke University Pratt School of Engineering in Durham, North Carolina, has announced the launch of the Sherry and John Woo Center for Big Data and Precision Health. The center will support machine learning and data research projects and opportunities for Duke faculty and students globally.

Ischemic stroke patients—regardless of their individual characteristics or the severity of their stroke—are 20 percent more likely to be readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of discharge if they acquire any kind of infection during their initial stay, researchers reported Nov. 1 in Stroke.

CMS plans to cut $380 million in 2019 by establishing site-neutral payments to hospitals. The change, which was outlined in CMS’ Outpatient Prospective Payment System final rule on Friday, will lower out-of-pocket costs for beneficiaries but also reduce payments for hospital-owned outpatient settings.

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) announced a “significant shortage” of molybdenum-99 (Mo-99) during the first half of November due to operations issues at various facilities.

CMS has released its 2019 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) final rule, and the biggest takeaway for radiologists is the confirmation that ordering providers must consult appropriate use criteria (AUC) before ordering advanced imaging services beginning Jan. 1, 2020.

Eight European scientific societies joined forces to produce what they say is the first interdisciplinary position paper to help clinicians manage patients with patent foramen ovales (PFOs).

HealthImaging spoke with Melissa Jackowski, president of the American Society of Radiologic Technologists (ASRT), about the group’s legislative efforts and how they impact radiology.

Daniel Best, a senior advisor to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, passed away, the agency announced. He worked with HHS on drug pricing reform.

Physicians successfully reversed the bleeding risk-treatment paradox in percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) by prioritizing risk-concordant use of bleeding avoidance strategies like bivalirudin, radial access and vascular closure devices, according to a report published Oct. 31 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.