HCI's Monthly Review of the Healthcare Industry |
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Robert J. Stilley
President, CEO
HeartCare Imaging, Inc.
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Dear Colleague-
While it’s not wise to wish away time, I think most Americans are glad to be through the month of February. Record cold and snowfall affected the delivery of care across much of the United States. The good news is that, once again, due to the relentless efforts of the American healthcare worker, we were able to get through another healthcare delivery crisis. Of course, the response to COVID has been the one that we will be talking about for years to come. Our frontline workers deserve high praise for their daily efforts to care for all patients during the past year. Those involved with ‘Operation Warp Speed’ also should be commended as we were able to develop a vaccine in record time. We should also commend those that have continued to run their businesses and provide employment in a safe and healthy way, keeping the economy running has been incredibly important for everyone’s fiscal and mental health.
We are now in the process of getting the vaccine out and it appears that we are making progress in containing the spread. Is it working? We recently saw that the infection rate in our area at just over 5% and the retransmission rate has been running below 1, which is good news. But, we can’t relax! We have seen numbers decrease over the past year only to increase again. We owe it to everyone, especially our healthcare workers, to do all we can to make sure we put an end to this pandemic as soon as possible. Please continue to be careful and practice great judgement in your daily life!
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Warning: iPhone 12 capable of deactivating implantable cardiac devices, putting patients at risk
A new feature in the Apple iPhone 12 appears to have an unexpected—and potentially dangerous—side effect: it can deactivate a person’s implantable cardiac device.
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Korean Study Sheds Light on Link Between HDL-Cholesterol and Parkinson's Disease
According to a recent population-based longitudinal study in Korea, lower levels of HDL-cholesterol and greater HDL-cholesterol variability were linked to higher incidence of Parkinson's disease.
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Cardiologist donates $1M to fund heart disease research as tribute to ‘selfless, loving’ wife
Renowned interventional cardiologist William O’Neill, MD, has donated $1 million to the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, where he currently serves as the director of the Center for Structural Heart Disease. The funds will go toward establishing the Carol S. O’Neill Structural Heart Disease Research Fund in honor of his late wife, who passed away in 2019.
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COVID-19 vaccine side effects extend beyond breast exams, now impacting nearly all imaging modalities
Radiologists and other providers must remain cognizant of lymph node swelling appearing on a variety of imaging exams in people who have been vaccinated against COVID-19, particularly cancer patients, according to new research published in Radiology.
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MRIs appear safe if the patient has a cardiac device with abandoned leads
MRI policies regarding patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs) have evolved in recent years, with specialty societies and even CMS acknowledging that scanning patients with such devices is quite safe.
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Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography shares new CCTA guidance
The Society of Cardiovascular Computed Tomography (SCCT) has published a new guideline focused on coronary computed tomographic angiography (CCTA).
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Drinking too much coffee is bad for the heart
Numerous studies—including one recent analysis in Stroke and another in Circulation: Heart Failure—have focused on how drinking coffee can benefit a person’s heart health.
Consuming too much coffee, however, can actually lead to a heightened risk of cardiovascular disease, according to new findings published in Clinical Nutrition.
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CHOP and Geisinger children's hospital announce affiliation
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and a smaller children's hospital operated by Geisinger in Danville, Pa. are formalizing an affiliation they say is designed to improve care for the kids they serve.
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All radiologists likely to encounter COVID-19 vaccine side effects in coming months, experts say
The American College of Radiology’s premier medical journal has released a new document to help radiologists manage the growing number of false-positive exams in patients who’ve received a COVID-19 vaccine.
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MIND diet, a combination of Mediterranean and DASH diets, associated with cardiac and cognitive benefits
The MIND diet, a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet, is associated with significant improvements to the hearts’ left ventricular function, according to a new study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
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Does Pfizer's COVID Vaccine Protect Against Asymptomatic Infection?
Pfizer/BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine appeared to prevent not only symptomatic disease, but asymptomatic infection as well, a real-world review of Israeli health records showed.
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Dementia Patients Have Higher Risk for COVID-19, With Blacks Faring Worse
Indeed, according to a retrospective case-control analysis of U.S. electronic health record (EHR) data, patients with dementia had a significantly increased risk for COVID-19.
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Surge in Kids' COVID-Linked Inflammatory Condition
Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) has seen a surge in cases trailing the winter wave of COVID-19 in adults, but the treatment and recognition of it are better than in the earlier waves, clinicians and researchers say.
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How 64% of U.S. COVID-19 hospitalizations could have been avoided
A significant number of COVID-19 hospitalizations in the United States can be attributed to the patient having a cardiometabolic conditions, according to a new modeling study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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When Can We Expect 600M Vaccine Doses?
The 24-hour news cycle is just as important to medicine as it is to politics, finance, or sports. At MedPage Today, new information is posted daily, but keeping up can be a challenge. As an aid for our readers and for a little amusement, here is a 10-question quiz based on the news of the week.
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Marijuana use lowers blood pressure for older adults with hypertension
Medical marijuana is associated with a significant reduction in blood pressure among older adults with hypertension, according to new findings published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine.
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East Coast university scores $1.2M grant for cutting-edge biological imaging projects
One New York-based private research university has scored a $1.2 million grant to develop a cutting-edge biological imaging tool, according to news published Monday.
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Providers ordering high-cost imaging see appropriateness scores rise with widely-used support tool
Providers ordering advanced imaging through a clinical decision support mechanism notched higher appropriateness scores the more they used the tool, suggesting learning takes place with each interaction.
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Cigna reverses course, expands hospital-based imaging access to pediatric patients
Cigna has reversed its controversial decision to stop covering most hospital-based imaging for pediatric patients, according to a letter sent to the American College of Radiology shared Thursday.
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FDA Sounds Alarm on Migraine Drug
Low-cost over-the-counter analgesics such as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs could be used early in the headache phase of a migraine attack, with triptans, including almotriptan, eletriptan, frovatriptan, naratriptan, rizatriptan, sumatriptan, and zolmitriptan, considered second-line treatment. However, these medications are used to manage, and not prevent, a migraine.
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Politicians who break party lines elicit stronger brain responses, new imaging study reveals
New imaging evidence suggests that political statements deviating from traditional party beliefs elicit a stronger brain response compared to what many consider to be conventional party positions.
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Telemedicine Gets Thumbs Up, MS Specialists Say
Most multiple sclerosis (MS) healthcare providers have used telemedicine to care for patients and want to keep using it, survey data showed.
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Biden Administration, Business Groups Ask Employers to Join COVID-19 Fight
The Biden administration is collaborating with business groups to encourage employers to join the fight against the coronavirus.
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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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HeartCare Imaging, Inc. | Phone: 561-746-6125 | Fax: 561-741-2036 | info@heartcareimaging.com |
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