HCI's Monthly Review of the Healthcare Industry |
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Robert J. Stilley
President, CEO
HeartCare Imaging, Inc.
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The ‘New Normal’…If COVID has taught me anything, it is that the human race is very capable of adjusting to change. We’ve gone from full steam ahead in the 1st quarter, to an almost complete stop, and are now in the midst of an accelerated start-up. And all of the aforementioned while trying to understand and manage a new and changing virus that took over the world in a matter of months. We keep hearing, “when will we get back to normal?” We need to realize there never is a ‘normal’ because change is constant. The question should not be, “when will we get back to normal,” but rather, “when will we get back to a normal rate of change?”
Healthcare has changed over the decades; the medicine being practiced in the last century is quite different than what we see today. Society has also changed over the decades. What was considered ‘normal’ decades ago might not be considered acceptable today. There have been some dramatic technological catalysts inspiring change, but for the most part, things have changed at a steady and manageable pace.
COVID changed everything in a matter of weeks. Due to the highly contagious and potentially life-threatening nature of the disease, we had to immediately shift both the way we provided healthcare and the way we lived our lives. Initially, most everyone was stunned, but we have adjusted and are now beginning to thrive again while using tools that were foreign to us just a few months ago. We’re still in the midst of this accelerated change, but I believe we are getting to a more manageable pace…and the ‘New Normal’…rate of change.
At HCI, we have been fortunate to adjust to these changes while still being able to open new labs during the height of the pandemic. Similarly, we’ve continued to provide the support necessary for our existing partner-clients to provide world class care for their patients. There are still more hurdles that we will need to overcome, but we should be confident that we will be successful in that we’ve made it through a very difficult period of change and continued to learn along the way.
We hope you enjoy this month’s newsletter, let us know what you think!
Sincerely,
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Nuclear medicine volume plummets due to COVID-19 |
It's no secret COVID-19 has disrupted nuclear medicine clinical practice, research, and work environments. However, a new survey by the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging (SNMMI) quantifies the effects: nearly 80% of respondents saw declines of 50% to 75% in non-PET nuclear medicine procedures.
An SNMMI COVID-19 task force led by Maria DaCosta, a nuclear technologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, surveyed all active SNMMI members from 17 countries and asked about imaging volumes, radiopharmaceutical supplies, and a projected timeline for a return to prepandemic outputs.
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Study: Pesco-Mediterranean Diet May Be Ideal For Heart Health |
Now a review of research in the journal of the American College of Cardiology shows a Pesco-Mediterranean diet, which is rich in plants, nuts, whole grains, extra virgin olive oil and emphasizes seafood as the main protein, may be the way to go.
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Degree of alcohol intake corresponds to hypertension risk in diabetes |
Moderate and heavy alcohol consumption were linked with hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes and elevated CV risk, researchers found.
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Can AI diagnose heart failure on chest x-rays? |
An artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm can provide a promising level of accuracy for diagnosing heart failure on chest radiographs, according to a presentation from Japanese researchers at the recent European Society of Cardiology (ESC) virtual congress.
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High Blood Sugar In Type 1 Diabetes Tied To Cardiac Autoimmunity: Circulation |
High blood sugar (hyperglycemia) is associated with cardiac autoimmunity in patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D), according to recent findings. The findings, presented at the Heart in Diabetes CME Conference (virtual meeting), suggest a role for autoimmune mechanisms for CVD development in T1D patients. The study was published in the journal Circulation.
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No Link Found Between Blood Pressure Meds and Cancer: Study |
Blood pressure drugs don't increase the risk of cancer, according to the largest study to examine the issue. A possible link between blood pressure drugs and cancer has been the subject of debate for decades, but evidence has been inconsistent and conflicting.
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Saliva Test For Heart Attacks Could Reduce Hospital Trips |
It could soon be possible to test someone’s spit to check whether they have had a heart attack and need to go to the emergency room, suggests new research.
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Myocardial Ischemia and Previous Infarction Contribute to Left Ventricular Dyssynchrony in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease |
Almost one-third of CAD patients had significant LVMD. Dyssynchrony was associated with earlier myocardial infarction and presence of myocardial ischemia. Previous percutaneous coronary intervention and coronary artery bypass grafting did not independently predict dyssynchrony.
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Cardiac Changes Start Early in Rheumatoid Arthritis |
Vascular abnormalities were already present at the time of diagnosis in rheumatoid arthritis in patients with no known cardiovascular disease, but improved over time with current treatment strategies, investigators reported.
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Telehealth can reduce heart risk by half for people with high blood pressure |
Enrolling in a pharmacist-led telemonitoring program to manage high blood pressure can reduce a person's risk for a heart attack or stroke by up to 50%, according to a study published Monday in the journal Hypertension.
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Nonpsychotic Mental Disorder in Teens Linked to Later MI Risk |
Having a nonpsychotic mental disorder in adolescence is associated with increased risk of subsequent myocardial infarction, with stress resilience partially attenuating the association, according to a study presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress 2020: The Digital Experience, held virtually from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.
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Isotopia, CPDC ink manufacturing deal for lutetium-177 |
Isotopia Molecular Imaging of Israel has signed a production agreement for no-carrier-added lutetium-177 (n.c.a. Lu-177) with radiopharmaceutical manufacturer Centre for Probe Development and Commercialization (CPDC) of Canada.
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NEW IMAGING AGENT SPOTLIGHTS INFLAMMATION |
The agent is designed to detect inflammation via PET scans. Such scans are not invasive, so they could be performed repeatedly to monitor a patient’s response to anti-inflammatory medication or to track the development of inflammation in chronic diseases.
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PET helps diagnose treatable form of dementia |
PET imaging could be a useful tool for diagnosis and treatment of idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus, a form of dementia that can be treated surgically, according to a literature review published September 7 in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
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Higher vitamin D levels may lower dementia risk, experts say |
Participants with the highest levels of vitamin D intake from food had a lower risk of dementia over time when compared with participants who consumed the least vitamin D from food, reported Yian Gu, M.D., Ph.D., a neurodegenerative disease researcher from Columbia University.
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Pevonedistat plus azacitidine prolongs EFS in higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome |
The addition of pevonedistat to azacitidine prolonged EFS among patients with higher-risk myelodysplastic syndrome, according to results of a phase 2 study presented at Society of Hematologic Oncology Annual Meeting.
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New Research Links Another Gene to Alzheimer's Risk |
A genetic variant in some people may be associated with mental decline that can't be explained by deposits of two proteins linked with Alzheimer's disease, researchers say.
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Expanded Risk Model Identifies Women Who Need Additional Breast Cancer Screening |
Creating a risk model that includes mammographic features, lifestyle factors, and genetics-based risk prediction scores can help providers identify which women at a high risk for breast cancer are most likely to develop the disease within two years of a negative screening. Providers can use those findings to direct these women for necessary supplemental screening.
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C-MIMI: Use of AI in radiology is evolving |
The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in radiology to aid in image interpretation tasks is evolving, but many of the old factors and concepts from the computer-aided detection (CAD) era still remain, according to a Sunday talk at the Conference on Machine Intelligence in Medical Imaging (C-MIMI).
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Prostate cancer death racial disparities linked to socioeconomic differences |
Differences in education levels, income and insurance status likely contribute to racial disparities in deaths from prostate cancer, an analysis published Tuesday by the journal Cancer found.
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Covid-19 shows primary care’s value to diverse communities and how to pay for it |
If Covid-19 has a silver lining for healthcare, it is the light it shines on the value of primary care. On the front lines of pandemic testing and management, primary care serves the majority of patients, enabling emergency departments and hospitals to treat the acutely ill. But primary care – and the relationships that form its foundation – is equally important in treating the everyday epidemic of chronic conditions we face in the U.S. today, especially in diverse communities.
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Marks, Hahn confirm COVID vaccine EUA guidance coming |
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will soon issue guidance on the data needed to support an emergency use authorization (EUA) for a vaccine to prevent coronavirus disease (COVID-19) according to Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) Director Peter Marks.
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Radiologists experiencing high levels of anxiety, psychological stress during pandemic, survey finds |
Polling nearly 700 such physicians, about 61% respondents labeled their anxiety levels at 7 or higher on a 10-point scale. And those numbers appeared to correlate with whether a doctor’s state has struggled to contain the outbreak, University of Southern California experts reported in Clinical Imaging.
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Trump administration backing off Medicaid rule that states warned would lead to cuts |
The Trump administration will not move forward with a proposed Medicaid rule that states, hospitals, insurers, patient advocates and members of both political parties warned could lead to massive cuts to the federal health care program for the poor.
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243 House members urge HHS to stop drugmakers from blocking 340B discounts |
A bipartisan group of 243 members of the House of Representatives sent a letter to HHS Secretary Alex Azar Sept. 14 urging him to use his authority to stop drugmakers from blocking safety-net hospitals' access to 340B discounts.
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Medicare ACOs in newest tracks achieved bigger savings in 2019 |
CMS announced Monday that accountable care organizations in the revised Medicare Shared Savings Program generated higher savings last year than organizations still in the legacy model.
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New Medicare Advantage payment methodology could take hold in 2022 |
CMS on Monday pitched changes to Medicare Advantage payments for 2022 that would complete a multiyear phase-in of a new payment methodology in which plan payments are adjusted using diagnoses solely from encounter data, which is information created by healthcare providers about patients' medical conditions and treatment.
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For over 25 years, HRSI has provided Authorized User (AU) classroom and laboratory training to physicians. HRSI's training is recognized by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and fulfills the didactic training required by law. |
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The 106th Scientific Assembly and Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, RSNA 2020 will be held in Chicago, Illinois between 29 November - 04 December 2020. |
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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com |
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