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| July 9, 2009 | |
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To submit articles for future e-News, please email Make a Tax deductible contribution to AAPM’s Education & Research Fund Meetings CalendarInternational Shielding Conference (RSMI); July 19-21, 2009, Ericeira, Portugal
2009 World Congress on Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering: Sept. 7-12, 2009, Munich, Germany ICDTF 2009 8th International Conference on Dose, Time and Fractionation In Radiation Oncology: Sept 13-15, 2009, Madison, Wisonsin
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FDATougher medical device oversight urgedFDA approval insufficient to protect patients, experts tell lawmakers WASHINGTON - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s approval process for medical devices needs strengthening to better protect patients from safety risks, experts told lawmakers on Thursday... [see full article] MedicareMedicaid: Source of Screening Affects Women’s Eligibility for Coverage of Breast and Cervical Cancer Treatment in Some StatesThe CDC’s Early Detection Program providers screen more than half a million low-income, uninsured women a year for breast and cervical cancer, but many eligible women are screened by other providers or not screened at all. Comparing CDC screening data with federal estimates of low-income, uninsured women, GAO estimated that from 2005 through 2006, 15 percent of eligible women received a mammogram from the Early Detection Program, while 26 percent were screened by other providers and 60 percent were not screened. For Pap tests, GAO estimated that from 2004 through 2006, 9 percent were screened by the program, 59 percent by other providers, and 33 percent were not screened... [see full article] In Victory For AMA, CMS Proposes To Remove Cost Of Drugs From Physician Pay UpdateCMS drew praise from the American Medical Association on Wednesday for finally agreeing to the group’s perennial request to prospectively remove the cost of drugs from the formula used to update Medicare physician payments. Begun in 1999, the sustainable growth rate formula was tied to prescription drug sale, but physicians have argued that drugs are supplies instead of "services" and should be removed from the formula... [see full article] CMS Proposes 1.9 Percent Increase To Outpatient ProvidersCMS late Wednesday proposed a 1.9 percent increase in Medicare payments for providers paid under the outpatient prospective payment system. As expected, the agency also moved forward with a plan to reimburse hospitals using an average sales price plus 4 percent for most separately payable drugs and biologics, a requirement of the Medicare Improvements for Patients and Providers Act (MIPPA)... [see full article] CMS Proposes Policy, Payment Rate Changes for Services in Hospital Outpatient Departments and Ambulatory Surgical Center in 2010Hospitals would be able to bill Medicare for pulmonary and intensive cardiac rehabilitation services furnished in outpatient departments beginning January 1, 2010 under a proposed rule issued today by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS )... [see full article] CMS Proposes Payment, Policy Changes for Physicians Services to Medicare Beneficiaries in 2010The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced today proposed changes to policies and payment rates for services to be furnished during calendar year (CY 2010) by over 1 million physicians and nonphysician practitioners who are paid under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS)... [see full article] Cardiologists, radiologists: CMS erred in using flawed dataCMS’ proposed 2010 physician fee schedule would reduce payment rates to physicians by 21.5 percent while boosting rates to general practitioners, family physicians, internists and geriatric specialists by between 6 and 8 percent for primary care services... [see full article] ResearchStudy: Medical imaging increases U.S. life expectancyIncreased utilization of advanced medical imaging has improved the life expectancy of patients in the United States by nearly nine months, according to a study released this month from the National Bureau of Economic Research... [see full article] Health reformPatient-Centered Research Report Sent to Congress Outlining Research PrioritiesCouncil Reports Back After Vigorous Public Outreach; Advises New Research Dollars To Focus On Populations Who Have Been Under-Represented And Better, More Coordinated Dissemination Of Information To Patients And Providers... [see full article] Hospitals Agree To $160 Billion In Cuts As Part Of Health Care Deal With White House, BaucusVice President Joe Biden is expected to announce in a White House Rose Garden ceremony on Wednesday morning that three major hospital associations -- the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals and the Catholic Health Association -- have made a deal with the administration and Senate Finance Committee Chair Max Baucus (D-MT) to accept up to $160 billion in cuts over 10 years to help pay for health reform, according to sources... [see full article] National Guidelines ClearinghouseACR Appropriateness Criteria® acute chest pain - suspected aortic dissectionAortic dissection typically presents with sudden onset of excruciating, tearing, anterior, or interscapular chest pain that tends to migrate to other sites along the course of the dissection... [see full article] ACR Appropriateness Criteria® assessment of gravid cervixThe term cervical incompetence was first introduced in 1948 by Palmer and Lacomme. This condition, which is characterized by painless midtrimester cervical dilatation, has a reported incidence of 1% and may be responsible for as many as 20% of second trimester miscarriages... [see full article] ACR Appropriateness Criteria® chronic chest pain - low to intermediate probability of coronary artery diseaseChronic chest pain can arise from a variety of etiologies. However, of those potential causes, the most threatening arise from cardiac disease. Chronic noncardiac chest pain (NCCP) most commonly is related to gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or other esophageal diseases... [see full article] ACR Appropriateness Criteria® rectal cancer - metastatic disease at presentationIn 2007, an estimated 41,420 new cases of rectal cancer will be diagnosed in the United States (23,840 men and 17,580 women). After decades of treating metastatic colorectal cancer (CRC) with 5-fluorouracil alone, newer agents have resulted in significant improvements in disease-free and overall survival rates... [see full article] ACR Appropriateness Criteria® recurrent rectal cancerLocal or regional failure in rectal cancer presents a major dilemma. Therapy strategies for patients with local pelvic recurrences are individualized, depending on the site of local recurrence as well as the type of therapy previously received... [see full article] ACR Appropriateness Criteria® suspected osteomyelitis in patients with diabetes mellitusThrough the last 50 years there has been much written about the diabetic foot, with little consensus as to whether, when, and what imaging is appropriate. This overview will summarize some of the work and draw conclusions based on the available data. Several clinical situations will be discussed in which osteomyelitis or diabetic pedal disease is suspected, but clinical findings differ because of the presence or absence of edema ulceration and neuropathy... [see full article] CMSCMS Recognizes The Joint Commission’s Critical Access Hospital AccreditationThe Department of Health and Human Services’ Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has again granted The Joint Commission deeming authority for the accreditation of critical access hospitals... [see full article] RegulatoryNRU Status Report #11 - Most current assessment of Chalk River NRU reactor allows for revised guidance on timeline for return to serviceAECL today announced that as a result of the most recent data from the ongoing assessment of the National Research Universal (NRU) reactor condition and the development of a critical path for the various repair options, it is now clear that the NRU will not return to service before late 2009... [see full article] GeneralGrant System Leads Cancer Researchers to Play It SafeAmong the recent research grants awarded by the National Cancer Institute is one for a study asking whether people who are especially responsive to good-tasting food have the most difficulty staying on a diet. Another study will assess a Web-based program that encourages families to choose more healthful foods... [see full article] Prioritizing Comparative-Effectiveness Research — IOM RecommendationsDirected by Congress to rapidly develop a list of broad-based priorities for the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to consider as it implements a new agenda for comparative-effectiveness research (CER), the Institute of Medicine (IOM) released a report recommending a portfolio of 100 study topics related to a range of diseases, research methods, and care models that are important to the health of the U.S. population... [see full article] Comparative-Effectiveness Research — Implications of the Federal Coordinating Council’s ReportDespite a plethora of diagnostic and treatment options, practical information that can guide health care choices for an individual patient are often elusive, and the resultant clinical uncertainty is an important factor driving regional variations in clinical practice. Clinicians and patients need to know not only that a treatment works on average but also which interventions work best for specific types of patients... [see full article] |
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2009 AAPM Annual Meeting
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