Patient Care

This page includes news coverage of various aspects of patient healthcare, including new technology innovations, what is working, what is not, personalized medicine and remote and telemedicine delivery. Find specific news in the areas of Care Delivery, Digital Transformation, Precision Medicine, Remote Monitoring and Telehealth.

Quality of care for heart patients does not improve in first year of ACO participation
Researchers tracked patient outcomes through the use of 15 performance measures related to hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart failure and atrial fibrillation.
Bill that would require providers report extravasations of radioactive drugs is back on the House floor
Patient advocacy groups say the proposal "is common-sense legislation that will protect patients."
Patients eligible for both breast and lung cancer screening are getting mammograms while ditching low-dose CT in droves
This finding underlines the need for interventions to increase LCS awareness and address common barriers such as confusing eligibility criteria.
Early pregnancy blood pressure patterns tied to hypertension risk years later
Researchers show certain blood pressure patterns during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to develop into hypertension later in life.
American College of Radiology partners with AI developer, seeking to improve Alzheimer’s diagnoses
ACR is teaming with Belgium-based Icometrix, which is providing its brain MRI software to facilities participating in the Alzheimer’s Network for Treatment and Diagnostics.

In Canada, discovery of unapproved viewing stations leads to review of 3K mammograms

A governmental healthcare provider in Canada has begun reviewing mammography results from around 3,000 patients imaged over the past three years.

Know your ARIAs: Radiologists urged to learn telltale signs of Alzheimer’s drugs that target amyloid plaques

This goes for generalists as well as neuroradiologists.

How effective are guidelines for managing incidental pulmonary nodules spotted on CT?

The authors of the study hypothesized that they would find malalignments due to the nature of how the 2017 Fleischner Society guidelines, in that they do not pertain to incidentally detected nodules.

Mental healthcare network Alma raises $130M

Alma, a membership-based network focused on mental healthcare, has raised $130 million in a Series D funding round. The network nabbed investments from some big names, including Cigna Ventures.

Cigna adds partners for opioid use disorder treatment

Cigna has teamed up with Bicycle Health to add coverage for virtual opioid use disorder treatment to Cigna plan customers.

4 physicians ask 4 pointed questions about shared decision-making

Question 1. Is the CMS policy that requires documenting shared decision-making for lung cancer screening even working?

ASTRO: ‘We hope this official delay provides an opportunity for CMS to … work more closely with the radiation oncology community’

Last week CMS dug in with its decision to put off finalizing an alternative value-based payment model for radiation oncology services to “a date to be determined through future rulemaking.”

Very low doses of edoxaban are safe and effective for frail, elderly AFib patients

Elderly patients are often not eligible for oral anticoagulant therapy due to the risk of bleeding events or other adverse outcomes. A very low dose of edoxaban, however, appears to be a safe treatment option, even for especially frail patients.

Patient Care

Quality of care for heart patients does not improve in first year of ACO participation

Bill that would require providers report extravasations of radioactive drugs is back on the House floor

Patients eligible for both breast and lung cancer screening are getting mammograms while ditching low-dose CT in droves

Early pregnancy blood pressure patterns tied to hypertension risk years later

American College of Radiology partners with AI developer, seeking to improve Alzheimer’s diagnoses