Quality

The focus of quality improvement in healthcare is to bolster performance and processes related to diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Leaders in this space also ensure the proper selection of imaging exams and procedures, and monitor the safety of services, among other duties. Reimbursement programs such as the Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) utilize financial incentives to improve quality. This also includes setting and maintaining care quality initiatives, such as the requirements set by the Joint Commission.

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Micro CT, photography combine for high-quality digitization of plants, insects

Combining micro-computed tomography (CT) with a photographic approach could improve accuracy and specificity when digitizing natural objects, Japanese researchers have found.

April 16, 2018

Joint Commission proposes new pain management standards

Critical access hospitals, ambulatory care and office-based surgical practices would be subject to new requirements for pain assessment and management under proposals released by the Joint Commission, with safe prescribing of opioids needing to be an “organizational priority” in all three settings.

April 16, 2018
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3 ways radiologists can provide transgender patients with compassionate care

Transgender patients often face unique challenges when accessing healthcare such as stigmatization and discrimination. A new analysis published in the American Journal of Roentgenology addressed what imaging leaders and radiologists can do to prevent this from happening and provide compassionate care.

April 10, 2018
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FDA clears Canon’s ‘ultra-high resolution’ CT system

Tustin, California-based Canon Medical Systems USA announced April 9 that it’s new Aquilion Precision ultra-high-resolution CT system has been cleared by the FDA. According to the company release, the system can improve resolution of traditional CT exams, being able to resolve anatomy as small as 150 microns.

April 9, 2018

As subspeciality rates climb, the majority of American radiologists remain generalists

It’s becoming clear that subspecialization is an upward trend in radiology, but the majority of practicing radiologists—55 percent of those in the U.S.—remain generalists, researchers announced in a recent study.

April 9, 2018

Philadelphia practice claims to reduce CT radiation dose by 40%

One Philadelphia-based medical center claims to have discovered a method that can decrease radiation dose during CT scans by 40 percent, CBS Philly has reported.

April 6, 2018
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Novel PET radioligand shows potential to assess Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s

A radiopharmaceutical tool developed by German and Swiss scientists has the potential to guide and assess treatment of neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis with PET imaging.

April 5, 2018

CDC: ‘Nightmare bacteria’ hitting U.S. hospitals

In 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found 221 instances of “unusual resistance germs” which can cause infections untreatable by antibiotics and spread that resistance to other germs. This “nightmare bacteria,” as the CDC called it, means hospitals and other healthcare facilities need to take “early and aggressive” action whenever a single case is found within their walls.

April 4, 2018