Volume XV | Issue 4 | April 2023 | |
HCI's Monthly Review of the Healthcare Industry | |
Robert J. Stilley
President, CEO
HeartCare Imaging, Inc.
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Dear Colleagues –
As healthcare professionals, we understand that providing consistent and excellent patient care is a top priority. My alma mater, UF, has a song which sings ‘in all kinds of weather, we’ll all stick together’…after living through Florida’s crazy weather these past few weeks, I understand why they came up with those words!
Just like the weather, the healthcare field brings its own unique challenges each day that can make achieving our goals difficult. That's why it's important to have a reliable partner like HCI by your side.
At HCI, we believe in the power of strong partnerships. We work closely with our partner-clients to ensure that every aspect of their healthcare organization is running smoothly, from personnel management to equipment service to licensing and accreditation. By sticking together through all kinds of weather, we can ensure that our clients are able to provide the best possible care to their patients, no matter what challenges may arise.
So whether you're dealing with a hurricane or a staffing shortage, you can count on HCI to be there for you. Together, we can weather any storm and continue to provide excellent patient care.
Best Regards,
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New Nuclear Medicine Therapy Cures Human Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in Preclinical Model
A new nuclear medicine therapy can cure human non-Hodgkin lymphoma in an animal model, according to research published in the April issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine.
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JNM Explores Potential Applications for ChatGPT in Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging
A new article in The Journal of Nuclear Medicine explores the potential for using ChatGPT, an artificial intelligence chatbot, in the field of nuclear medicine and molecular imaging.
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AI model helps detect radiotracer uptake to find cardiac amyloidosis
An artificial intelligence model trained to find cardiac radiotracer uptake on technetium-99m whole-body scintigraphy identified patients at risk of cardiac amyloidosis with an accuracy of 99.3% and a specificity of 99.5%, researchers reported in JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging. Researchers said the model may help diagnose cardiac amyloidosis in the hundreds of thousands of patients who had or will have whole-body scintigraphy.
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Atrial Fibrillation Risk With Cancer Drugs Underestimated
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a known and serious side effect of some cancer treatments, but it is underreported in cancer drug trials, French investigators say in a new report
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Stepwise Catheter Ablation Named Winner for Persistent Afib
Among catheter ablation strategies for persistent atrial fibrillation (Afib or AF), the stepwise electro-anatomical guided approach emerged victorious based on head-to-head comparisons in a small randomized trial.
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Mortality risk grows with depression, anxiety after surviving cardiac arrest
Survivors of out-of-hospital cardiac arrest with anxiety or depression were more likely to die during 14 years of follow-up.
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Black patients may be at elevated cardiotoxicity, HF risk after chemotherapy
Black race was associated with 71% greater odds of chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity vs. white or non-Black race.
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A miniature heart in a petri dish: Organoid emulates development of the human heart
A team has induced stem cells to emulate the development of the human heart. The result is a sort of 'mini-heart' known as an organoid. It will permit the study of the earliest development phase of our heart and facilitate research on diseases.
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Detecting, predicting, and preventing aortic ruptures with computational modeling
According to some estimates, up to 80% of patients who experience a ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm will die before they reach the hospital or during surgery. But early intervention can prevent rupture and improve outcomes. Researchers have now made a computational model of the cardiovascular system in order to predict early AAA rupture and monitor patients' blood vessel conditions. They mimicked specific health conditions and investigated various hemodynamic parameters using image-based computational blood dynamics.
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Sedentary time may significantly enlarge adolescents' heart
In adolescents, sedentary time may increase heart size three times more than moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, a recent article concludes. The researchers explored the associations of sedentary time, light physical activity, and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity with cardiac structure and function.
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Smart watches could predict higher risk of heart failure
A study looked at data from 83,000 people who had undergone a 15-second electrocardiogram (ECG) comparable to the kind carried out using smart watches and phone devices. The researchers identified ECG recordings containing extra heart beats which are usually benign but, if they occur frequently, are linked to conditions such as heart failure and arrhythmia (irregular heartbeats). They found that people with an extra beat in this short recording (one in 25 of the total) had a twofold risk of developing heart failure or an irregular heart rhythm (atrial fibrillation) over the next 10 years.
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Statin users: Moderate exercise is safe, even in those with muscle pain
A new study provides encouragement for people on statins who are afraid to exercise for fear of causing muscle damage.
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Aspirin vs Clopidogrel for Long-term Maintenance After Coronary Stenting in Patients With Diabetes
In this secondary analysis of the HOST-EXAM randomized clinical trial, clopidogrel was associated with lower rates of the 24-month composite end point of all-cause death, myocardial infarction, stroke, readmission due to acute coronary syndrome, and major bleeding in patients with and without diabetes.
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Comprehensive Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance Tissue Characterization and Cardiotoxicity in Women With Breast Cancer
In this cohort study including 136 women, serial CMR tissue characterization demonstrated peak myocardial inflammation and edema 3 months after trastuzumab initiation, and these changes were associated with left ventricular dilation and higher B-type natriuretic peptide. However, the observed values were mostly within the normal range, and the changes were small and not consistently associated with risk of cancer therapy–related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD).
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Pollution exposure may counteract protective CV effects of physical activity
Exposure to higher amounts of fine particulate matter air pollution may counteract the protective CV effects of active commuting and farming activity in China, researchers reported.
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Why adults in rural areas face higher risk of heart failure
An observational study reports that adults in the United States who live in rural areas have a 19% overall higher risk of developing heart failure compared to adults who live in urban areas.
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Are Your Patients Aware That Hearing Loss May Affect the Brain?
Patients of all ages need to be better informed of the risks and interventions available
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10-year imaging study examines long-term side effects of smoking cigarettes
Results from a 10-year study on the progression of emphysema in smokers offer new insights into the long-term ramifications of cigarette smoking.
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Frequent colds and flu may increase dementia risk
Studies in humans have shown that greater exposure to microbial infections during one’s lifetime is associated with a greater decline in cognitive function with aging.
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Why the stroke risk after valve replacement surgery is higher in some hospitals
Each year, about 73,000 people in the United States undergo a TAVR procedure to treat aortic stenosis.
Between 3% to 7% of people who have a TAVR experience a stroke within 30 days of the procedure.
Researchers from the University of Michigan report that hospitals without comprehensive stroke center status may be missing strokes occurring after a TAVR.
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E-cigarette use rose amid outbreak of vaping-associated lung injury
E-cigarette use significantly increased among younger adults from 2019 to 2021, a time that spanned an outbreak of e-cigarette- or vaping-associated lung injury, known as EVALI, according to researchers at the American Cancer Society.
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Long COVID Smell Loss Linked to Changes in the Brain
Anosmia, or the loss of the sense of smell caused by long COVID is linked to changes in the brain that prevents correct olfactory processing.
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Scientists achieve promising results towards restoring vision in blindness caused by cellular degeneration in the eye
Research reveals a promising stem cell approach to correct photoreceptor cell degeneration, which underlies several forms of visual decline and blindness.
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Experimental cancer vaccine combined with immunotherapy delayed return of melanoma, Moderna and Merck say
New data from a trial of an investigational mRNA vaccine shows that it reduced the risk of recurrence of the serious skin cancer melanoma when combined with immunotherapy, according to drugmakers Moderna and Merck.
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Nonoperative management for appendicitis linked to fewer complications in older adults
Nonoperative management was associated with reduced complications only in adults older than 65 years. Reduced mortality, length of hospital stay and cost was consistent with appendectomy across all age groups.
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FDA committee unanimously recommends pneumonia antibiotic for older adults
The FDA’s Antimicrobial Drugs Advisory Committee voted unanimously in favor of sulbactam-durlobactam for adults with hospital-acquired and ventilator-associated bacterial pneumonia, Innoviva announced Monday.
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Health Care Industry News | |
41 hospitals, health systems cutting jobs
A number of hospitals and health systems are trimming their workforces or jobs due to financial and operational challenges.
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The Return-to-Normal Healthcare Trade Picks Up Pace
With Covid-19 hospitalizations declining, medical centers are getting back to their bread and butter, like fixing knees and hearts. That is bad news for insurers, which benefited from people putting off expensive medical procedures, but great for hospitals, as well as for makers of medical devices..
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Kaiser Permanente to acquire Geisinger, form company to operate other nonprofit systems
Kaiser Permanente is acquiring Geisinger Health and forming a new nonprofit to buy and operate other value-oriented nonprofit systems, the organizations announced Wednesday. The new nonprofit, Risant Health, will operate separately from Kaiser Permanente. Geisinger will become part of Risant but maintain its own name and mission, according to a press release.
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Humana boosts 2023 expectations for Medicare Advantage growth
Humana said Wednesday it expects 2023 Medicare Advantage membership to increase 17% from the prior year, representing metrics that are “meaningfully higher than industry growth,” as it also reported favorable MA inpatient utilization trends for the first quarter.
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LCMC can't close any HCA hospitals it acquired, judge rules
As legal battles between LCMC Health and the federal government play out, a judge ruled the New Orleans-based system cannot close any of the three hospitals it purchased from Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare in January, nola.com reported April 24.
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UnitedHealthcare cutting 20% of prior authorizations
UnitedHealthcare is moving forward with a plan to eliminate 20 percent of its current prior authorizations and implement a national gold-card program. Code reductions will begin this summer and continue through the rest of the year for most commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, according to a March 29 UnitedHealthcare news release.
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Experts use MRI to identify brain pathways responsible for epileptic seizures
Researchers recently used a series of MRI brain scans to identify pathways in the frontal lobe that could be the root cause of some epileptic seizures.
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Whether physical exertion feels 'easy' or 'hard' may be due to dopamine levels, study suggests
Dopamine, a brain chemical long associated with pleasure, motivation and reward-seeking, also appears to play an important role in why exercise and other physical efforts feel 'easy' to some people and exhausting to others, according to results of a study of people with Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is marked by a loss of dopamine-producing cells in the brain over time.
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ADHD medication abuse in schools is a ‘wake-up call’
At some middle and high schools in the United States, 1 in 4 teens report they’ve abused prescription stimulants for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder during the year prior, a new study found.
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Pandemic Pet Pals: Exploring the Complex Relationship Between Pet Ownership, Stress, and Loneliness During Lockdown
During the COVID-19 pandemic, US dog and cat owners became closer to their pets, though pet ownership did not consistently alleviate stress and loneliness. The relationship between mental health and pet ownership was complex, with dog owners experiencing a greater reduction in stress and loneliness compared to cat owners and non-pet owners.
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Obesity’s Heavy Toll: Preteens With Excess BMI Show Troubling Changes in Brain Function, Structure, and Cognition
A large national study finds that preteens with excess weight show significant differences in cognitive performance, brain structures, and brain circuitry when compared to those with normal body-mass index.
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Lawsuit seeks to overturn California's physician-assisted death law
Disability rights advocates are suing to overturn California's physician-assisted death laws, claiming recent changes have made assisted suicide too accessible to people with terminal diseases, KFF Health News reported April 25.
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Medicare's Policy on Alzheimer's Drugs Comes Under Fire at House Hearing
House members on both sides of the aisle were in surprising agreement on a number of healthcare issues Wednesday, most notably the need for Medicare to reconsider its coverage decision on amyloid-inhibiting Alzheimer's drugs such as aducanumab (Aduhelm) and lecanemab (Leqembi).
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Medicaid Eligibility Changes Set to Hit Hospitals, Insurers, States
An unprecedented effort by states to review the eligibility of the more than 90 million people on Medicaid carries high financial stakes for industry groups, including hospitals that risk paying more to cover uninsured patients and insurers that could lose some of the money they get for managing state Medicaid programs.
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com | | | | |
