Financial Education Seminars Offered at RSNA 2008
Saturday, November 29
McCormick Place
RSNA will offer two financial seminars prior to RSNA 2008:
- 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Effective Estate Planning Strategies, presented by Barry Rubenstein, B.S., J.D., L.L.M.
- 1:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Effective Investment Strategies, presented by J. Michael Moody, M.B.A.
More information is available online. Further questions can be directed to the RSNA Education Center at 1-800-381-6660 x7772 or ed-ctr@rsna.org.
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Leading the News
Research
Technology
Medical-Legal Issues
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Leading the News
Elias A. Zerhouni to End Tenure as Director of the National Institutes of Health
Dr. Elias A. Zerhouni has announced his intention to step down from his position as the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) at the end of October 2008. Dr. Zerhouni, a respected radiologist and researcher, has served as NIH director since May 2002. During that time he encouraged a number of programs designed to support collaborative research throughout NIH, including the NIH Roadmap for Medical Research. When asked to comment on his departure, Zerhouni said, "I will miss NIH and all my colleagues, not only for their friendship and support … but also for their essential role in the progress we made in advancing innovative research, fostering scientific collaboration, supporting young scientists, and enhancing basic, translational, and clinical research, despite great challenges."
From "Elias A. Zerhouni to End Tenure as Director of the National Institutes of Health"
NIH News Release (09/24/08)
Research
Three-Week Radiation Therapy as Effective as Five Weeks for Early-Stage Breast Cancer
McMaster University Prof. Timothy Whelan and his team have found that accelerated whole breast irradiation for three weeks may be as effective as less intensive five-week whole breast radiation in patients with early-stage breast cancer. The results of their study, reported at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston, revealed that 10 years following treatment, cancer returned locally in 6.2 percent of patients who underwent accelerated radiation therapy. In comparison, cancer recurrence was observed in 6.7 percent of patients who underwent standard therapy. Both groups of patients experienced similar instances of side effects and good or excellent cosmetic outcome from the treatments.
From "Three-Week Radiation Therapy as Effective as Five Weeks for Early-Stage Breast Cancer"
Science Centric (09/23/2008)
Breast MRI Signals Cancer Radiation Need
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may be a valid alternative to exploratory surgery for patients with breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes, according to University of Washington's Dr. Christopher Loiselle and his team. They performed MRI scans on 167 patients who underwent radiation therapy for invasive breast cancer after surgical staging of their tumors. Loiselle and his colleagues found physiological information shown on the MRI correlated with the surgically based conclusion that cancer had spread to the lymph nodes.
From "Breast MRI Signals Cancer Radiation Need"
United Press International (09/22/08)
Radiation Added to Hormone Therapy Increases Survival for Men With Prostate Cancer
Results from a randomized study presented at the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's 50th Annual Meeting in Boston show that the combination of radiation treatment and anti-androgen hormone therapy halves the mortality rate for men suffering from advanced prostate cancer. The risk of death from prostate cancer is significantly lower for men who also receive radiation treatment, compared with those who only undergo anti-androgen hormone treatment, said Sweden's Anders Widmark of Umea University. The nearly-900 patients with locally advanced prostate cancer who participated in the study received 90 days of intense hormone therapy with a total androgen blockade followed by uninterrupted anti-androgen therapy, which allowed the testosterone to return, or the same hormonal therapy merged with radiation therapy between February 1996 and December 2002. Results show that fewer than one-in-ten patients who underwent both forms of treatment died of prostate cancer, compared with 18 percent of patients who received hormone therapy alone. The quality of life was nearly identical for both test groups after a four year period, with slightly diminished social functionality for those who received the combined treatment.
From "Radiation Added to Hormone Therapy Increases Survival for Men With Prostate Cancer"
Science Daily (09/22/08)
Radiation Increases Risk of Learning and Memory Problems in Patients with Cancer
Cancer patients with metastasized brain tumors who receive stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) and whole brain radiation may be more than twice as likely to develop learning and memory impediments, compared to those who receive SRS alone, according to a randomized study presented at the annual meeting American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Eric L. Chang, lead author of the study and a radiation oncologist at Houston's M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, said these findings may change the way U.S. physicians treat brain metastases. The study revolved around 58 patients with one or several brain metastases who were randomized to receive SRS alone or SRS combined with whole brain radiation for an 80-month period. The trial was halted after early results showed that patients who endured simultaneous SRS and whole brain radiation therapy had a nearly 50 percent decline in learning and memory functions after only four months, compared with patients in the other group who experienced a 23 percent deterioration in certain neurocognitive functions after receiving SRS alone.
From "Cancer Patients Experience Increased Risk of Learning and Memory Problems"
Science Centric (09/22/2008)
Technology
Radiosurgery Proves Viable for Some Pancreatic Cancers
A preliminary study conducted by Georgetown University Dr. Christopher Lominska and colleagues found that radiosurgery may be an effective treatment in some cases of recurring pancreatic cancer. Dr. Lominska and his team performed radiosurgery on 28 patients. Median survival from the date of treatment was 5.3 months, with the range of survival from one month to 27 months. Lominska reported at the annual meeting of the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. Radiographic studies also showed the cancer was locally controlled in six patients, while six other patients experienced local control with distant progression.
From "Radiosurgery Proves Viable for Some Pancreatic Cancers"
Health Central (09/22/08)
Medical-Legal Issues
Prostate-Cancer Therapy Stirs Debate on Cost, Efficacy
Radiologists, regulators, and insurers are currently investigating whether proton therapy is a cost-effective method of treatment for prostate cancer compared to other available therapies. Supporters of proton therapy say it remains the most effective method of treating prostate cancer while sparing surrounding tissue and reducing side effects. However, proton-beam accelerators are a big investment--they generally cost between $100 million and $200 million to construct. For this reason, there are currently only five operating in the United States and another five under construction. Proton therapy itself is also extremely costly: a single treatment runs $40,000 and up. Currently, Medicare and most private insurers cover these treatments for prostate cancer, but the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) is taking public comments through Sept. 28 in an effort to determine if it should require evidence that proton therapy is superior to other prostate cancer treatments. To address CMS' concerns, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology's incoming president, Dr. Anthony L. Zietman, has proposed conducting a randomized clinical trial comparing proton beam with state-of-the-art X-ray radiation. Other trials are also currently underway to assess the efficacy of proton therapy for breast and lung cancer.
From "Prostate-Cancer Therapy Stirs Debate on Cost, Efficacy"
Wall Street Journal (09/23/08) P. D1; Beck, Melinda
Medicare Quality Initiative Reports Positive Results
Medicare’s Physician Quality Reporting Initiative (PQRI) has been in effect for a full year now, and so far the results have been positive. PQRI has posted some data on its web site indicating that 16 percent of eligible professionals submitted data at least once in 2007, with 93 percent successfully submitting at least one quality data code. Just over half were prepared to satisfy the requirement of reporting on three measures and applying each to at least 80 percent of patients in a category. Voices outside CMS itself are bullish as well, with PQRI meeting much greater acceptance than Physician Voluntary Reporting Initiative (PVRI), which had almost zero participation. A survey from the Medical Group Management Association found that PQRI participation is four times that of its predecessor, as physicians are eager to receive their incentive payments. For the first year the payments will likely not make a substantial difference because of the time and effort involved with reporting, but in the second year and moving forward the payments will make a difference, some doctors say. The average reimbursement per provider is $149,763, and the average annual incentive payment, set at 1.5 percent of that, would be $2,246. An eight-physician practice, then, could collect more than $18,000 a year. "There were some people who felt like it was going to be a lot of extra work for little benefit,” said Pat Kinsley, RT, coding and compliance manager for Suburban Radiologic Consultants. “Now, a lot of those people are participating in 2008." Participation is also likely to rise thanks to a few changes, including the removal of the payment cap on the 1.5 percent calculation, the allowance for use of third-party registries, an alternate reporting period for late starters, and a new rule allowing providers to report on 15 consecutive patients rather than 80 percent of the population.
From "Part of the Equation"
Health Management Technology (09/08) Powell, Jan E.; Stanley, Rex A.
PHR Acceptance Lukewarm Amid Persistent Questions
Research by the Markle Foundation and Harris Interactive indicates that just 1 percent to 4 percent of the U.S. population has embraced electronic personal health records (PHRs), even though more than 200 models presently are accessible to them online. Much of consumers' hesitation has to do with privacy and security concerns, but Orlando Regional Health System Vice President and CIO Rick Schooler says widespread adoption will not occur until the government has developed data transfer and privacy standards, vendor information is made more consumer friendly, providers are required by payors to transfer clinical data to PHRs, and incentives to use PHRs are offered by employers and health plans. Experts believe PHRs must offer online messaging to facilitate communication between doctors and patients, and Schooler insists hospitals will benefit from being able to view patient data from various providers. Much of the current debate centers on whether PHRs should be tethered to large healthcare systems, multispecialty groups, and insurers, or whether they should put patients in control of inputting data and deciding who accesses it.
From "Will PHRs Rule the Waves or Roll Out With the Tide?"
Hospitals & Health Networks (08/08) Terry, Ken
Clinical Practice
Self-Service Kiosks Free Up More Time for Patient Care
A potential new trend in healthcare is the arrival of self-service kiosks in hospitals and doctor’s offices. Using the same technology used at airports and grocery stores, patients can check themselves in, verify insurance records, and pay through a kiosk in less than two minutes. Lehigh Valley Physician Group has launched a pilot program at two of its practices, using kiosks that allow patients to swipe their driver’s license to access records and pay with a credit card. Each kiosk from Primetime Medical Software costs about $10,000, and the company says sales to healthcare organizations have tripled in the past year as they begin to realize the administrative efficiencies that can be gained with such automation. The kiosks are not replacing receptionists nor reducing human contact, they merely give staff more time to devote to patient care, Primetime says. The only drawback is the fact that some patients—particularly the elderly—get frustrated with the technology.
From "Self -Service Kiosks"
Morning Call (08/27/08) Torrejón, Veronica
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