Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008 - (Page 40)

Stat Sheet americans living longer Life expectancy of Americans has hit a record high—78.1 years for babies born in 2006, according to a report published in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Vital Statistics Reports. That’s an increase of 0.3 years from those born in 2005. Heart disease, cancer and cerebrovascular diseases remained the leading causes of death. There was a racial disparity in life expectancy in both men (76 for whites versus 70 for blacks) and women (81 for whites versus 76.9 for blacks). Although the difference between male and female life expectancy has been generally decreasing since 1979, the gap widened from 5.2 years in 2004 and 2005 to 5.3 in 2006. e-Prescribing adoption not catching on Even though 35 million prescriptions were sent electronically in 2007—a 170 percent increase over 2006—only 2 percent of the prescriptions eligible for electronic routing in 2007 were transmitted electronically. Significant regulatory and cost barriers remain, according to a report released by the eHealth Initiative and the Center for Improving Medicaid Management. The report did find, however, that at least 35,000 prescribers are actively using e-prescribing technology, and it forecasts at least 85,000 active eprescribers by the end of 2008. Which mammo facilities excel? Screening mammography facilities with a breast imaging specialist on staff and that perform at least two audit reviews a year are significantly more likely to interpret images accurately, according to findings published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Higher accuracy of interpretation was associated with facilities that offered only screening mammography and performed single reading. Further examination of the variations among mammography facilities could help patients and physicians make more informed decisions about choosing a facility and help facilities improve their performance, the authors wrote. Little support for spiral Ct lung cancer screening Spiral CT screening for lung cancer is too controversial and lacks evidence for a mortality benefit for physicians to embrace the procedure, according to a session presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting in May. Spiral CT screening picks up 70 percent more lung cancers than x-ray imaging, according to one speaker, but no study has shown that it improves lung cancer mortality. Telecommunications + healthcare = big bucks The healthcare industry will spend $55 billion on telecommunications services over the next five years, according to a market research study released by the Insight Research Corporation. According to the market analysis study, spending by the U.S. healthcare industry on telecommunications services will grow at a compounded rate of 8.4 percent over the forecast period, increasing from $7.5 billion in 2008 to $11.3 billion in 2013. An aging population and worker shortages are pushing the industry to find alternative approaches to current business practices, which are expected to rely heavily on telecommunications services. Military to provide PhRs The Military Health System plans to equip all of its 9.2 million members with personal health records as early as 2009, according to an announcement made at an American Health Information Community meeting. Officials currently are working to select a vendor and modify its product for military use. 40 Health Imaging & IT | July 2008 HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008

Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008 On the Web The Enterprise News Update Convention Spotlight: AHRA 2008 Cover Story: Driving Metrics to Drive Business: Digital Dashboards Deliver Mammography CAD Comes of Age Breast MR CAD: Earlier Detection, Increased Efficiency Lung CAD Earning a Spot in Day-to-Day Practice Colon CAD: Breaking Down Barriers Modality Review: Cardiac CT Angiography: A Clear Pathway to Better Cardiac Patient Management Practice Management: RIS Rights Efficiency & Productivity Wrongs In Practice: Advanced Visualization Across the Enterprise Regulatory Update: Beware: Recovery Audit Contractors Poised for Permanent Status Technology Outlook: Compressing Images for Remote Transmission Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Healthcare Imaging & IT - July 2008

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