Questions about the necessity of imaging tests continued to dominate headlines this week, as a new study published in JAMA claims that HMOs are seeing an increase in imaging despite the lack of their financial incentive to conduct them.

Pediatric exposure to radiation has been a hot topic in the imaging world since a Lancet study last week cautioned against the long-term effects of CT exposure on childhood cancer patients.

Advance Painting Services, an industrial radiography company based in Grand Junction, Colorado, is facing nearly a quarter-of-a-million dollars in fines from the state Department of Public Health and Environment related to alleged improper handling of radioactive materials.

The RSNA Research and Education Foundation will have its largest grant year in 2012, distributing $2.9 million.

The Society of Nuclear Medicine made three significant announcements today, including finalizing a proposal begun in January 2012 that would change its name to the more inclusive “Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging.”

lifeIMAGE announced that its lifeIMAGE OutBox service will use a newly developed publishing engine to help hospitals and imaging providers securely and automatically share results of imaging exams in the cloud.

Toshiba America Medical Systems, Inc. announced the availability of VeloCT. This console upgrade includes new enhancements for patient safety, dose management and workflow for existing Aquilion 32, Aquilion 64 and Aquilion CX CT systems manufactured between 2006 and 2012.

As the pursuit of reducing the unnecessary utilization of imaging equipment continues, new research questions the idea that greater access to information could necessarily lead to less imaging—and therefore, lowered costs to the system.