Police investigating the death of 32-year-old Rajesh Maru—who was sucked into an MRI machine at Nair Hospital in Mumbai, India, in January—are expected to bring new charges against Nair employee Vitthal Chavan, 35, for Maru’s death after allowing him to enter the MRI room with a metallic oxygen cylinder, according to a Nov. 5 report by The Times of India.

CMS Administrator Seema Verma’s Halloween tweet has drawn lots of attention, including from a government watchdog that says she likely violated the Hatch Act.

Biopharmaceutical company Amarin announced top-line results for its purified eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) product in September, hailing the 25 percent risk reduction in a composite of cardiovascular outcomes associated with icosapent ethyl (Vascepa). But critics who commented on the results to Kaiser Health News worried the excitement over the trial is premature.

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.

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.

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.