RSNA 2007 Opening Session Presentations Available Online
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Plenary session presentations from RSNA 2007 can now be viewed online. Go to RSNA.org/virtual2007.cfm to see:
- The Future of Radiology—R. Gilbert Jost, M.D.
- Leveraging Informatics to Enhance Radiology Relevance and Value—Paul J. Chang, M.D.
- With Worldwide Image Distribution, Will Radiology Become a Commodity?—James P. Borgstede, M.D.
- Major Trends in the Imaging Sciences—Elias A. Zerhouni, M.D., Director, National Institutes of Health
Nobelprize.org Launches Imaging Life
Nobelprize.org, the official Web site of the Nobel Foundation, has launched Imaging Life, an educational multimedia production showing how Nobel Prizes in scientific and medical imaging have changed the way in which people view themselves and the world around them.
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Intended for students at undergraduate level and higher, Imaging Life features:
• An introductory video giving a snapshot of the historical developments of imaging
• A navigable timeline showing each Nobel Prize breakthrough in imaging, from X-rays to electron microscopes, and how they relate to each other
• Images, slideshows and video interviews with Nobel Laureates
• Articles revealing the stories behind imaging breakthroughs, such as how physicists helped to solve biology's greatest riddle and how the Beatles played an important part in a medical revolution
Imaging Life can be accessed at nobelprize.org/educational_games/physics/imaginglife.
Newest Installment of RSNA History Series Available
The next chapter in the "History of the Radiological Society of North America" details significant events in 2003–2007, including the introduction of RSNA's Medical Imaging Resource Center (MIRC™) and the redesign of Radiology.
The history series is available online at RSNA.org/About/history/articles.cfm. To link directly to the newest installment go to RSNA.org/About/history/history26.cfm.
CMS Report Predicts Healthcare Spending Increases
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its projections that growth in healthcare spending in the U.S. will close at 6.7 percent for 2007, with average annual growth expected to remain near that rate through 2017.
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The analysis was prepared by the CMS Office of the Actuary and published online by the journal Health Affairs. Over the full projection period (2007-2017), annual growth in health spending is anticipated to be higher than annual growth in both the overall economy (4.9 percent) and general inflation (2.4 percent).
As a percentage of gross domestic product (GDP), healthcare spending is projected to increase to 16.3 percent in 2007 from 16.0 percent in 2006. By the end of the projection period, healthcare spending in the U.S. is expected to reach just over $4.3 trillion and comprise 19.5 percent of GDP.
The healthcare spending projection data can be found on the CMS Web site at www.cms.hhs.gov/NationalHealthExpendData/03_NationalHealthAccountsProjected.asp.
CMS Reverses Proposed Decision on Cardiac CTA
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has reversed a proposed decision to limit coverage of cardiac CT angiography (CTA), allowing decisions about coverage to continue to be made by contractors at the state level.
The North American Society for Cardiac Imaging, American College of Radiology and American College of Cardiology were among the organizations that objected to the coverage change proposed last December, saying it ignored many studies showing CTA's utility and efficacy.
CMS proposed creating a National Coverage Determination, under which CTA would have been covered only in Medicare beneficiaries with two specific clinical indications of coronary artery disease (CAD) via the Coverage with Evidence Development process, which allows coverage in connection with clinical trials.