Health Imaging & IT - May 2008 - (Page 72)

sTaT sheeT noPr: peT changes more than 30% of cancer treatment plans Positron emission tomography (PET) changed cancer treatment plans in more than a third of cases submitted to the National Oncologic PET Registry, according to findings published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology. Data showed that 70 percent of planned biopsies were avoided due to PET scans and physicians changed pre-scan treatment decisions from non-treatment to treatment in 28 percent of cases. More than 80 percent of U.S. PET centers participated in the study, representing more than 22,000 cases collected over a one-year period. Image courtesy of Siemens More providers participating in HIEs More healthcare providers are participating in health information exchanges (HIEs) or are in active discussions to join health data exchanges, compared with previous years, according to new data released by IDC-Health Industry Insights. The survey found that 22.7 percent of community hospital CIOs said their healthcare system is participating in a health data exchange, and another 18.2 percent of CIOs said they were not yet participating, but expected to be in less than a year. Those figures compare with 15 percent who said that their healthcare facility was participating in an HIE in 2006. colorectal screening numbers not high enough Four of every 10 people who should be tested for colorectal cancer are not being screened within the suggested timeframe, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in an issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Guidelines suggest that people 50 and older should have a fecal occult blood test every year, a sigmoidoscopy or double-contrast barium enema every five years, and a colonoscopy every 10 years. Analysis of three years of state-based health surveys suggests that the rate of screening in that age group increased steadily from 2002 through 2006—from 54 percent in 2002 to 61 percent in 2006. X-ray sufficient for most knee replacement patients For most arthritis patients, x-ray is sufficient to determine the need for arthroplasty, according to findings presented at a meeting of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. More than 60 percent of patients having total knee replacement for osteoarthritis had had an MRI ordered within two years of the surgery, and less than half had x-rays taken before the MRI was done. Research shows that weight-bearing and skyline patella-view x-rays are sufficient for planning treatment, and at a much lower cost. Digital mammo increasing recalls More radiologists have transitioned from x-ray film to digital mammograms, but the number of women who are called back for additional tests is increasing, according to The New York Times. Almost one-third (32 percent) of u.S. mammography clinics now have at least one digital mammography machine. That’s up from 10 percent in 2006. The repeat tests may be the result of physicians having difficulty learning to interpret the digital mammograms and compare them to prior x-rays. 2 Health Imaging & IT | May 2008 HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Imaging & IT - May 2008

Health Imaging & IT - May 2008 Contents On the Web The Enterprise News Update Convention Spotlight: SIIM 2008 Healthcare IT Salary Survey Survey Findings Inside the Transition to Next-Generation Image Management Blurring the Lines: Interfaced vs. Integrated RIS/PACS The Insider's Primer: Taming the Workflow Beast - Five Facilities Tell How Availability, Applications Drive New Archive Strategies Modality Review Managing Technology Inside Technology Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - May 2008

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