AuntMinnie.com Radiation Oncology Insider

Dear Radiation Oncology Insider,

Some breaking news just came in as we prepared this edition of the Radiation Oncology Insider: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California has signed the SB 1237 medical radiation protection bill into law.

While most of the attention drawn to the bill has focused on its requirements for CT, it also covers radiation therapy treatments, requiring that radiation dose be recorded. The new law won't go into effect until 2012, but it paves the way for other U.S. states to adopt medical radiation protection bills as well. Read our coverage from international editor Eric Barnes by clicking here.

In other news in your Radiation Oncology Digital Community, you'll find features editor Wayne Forrest's report on how use of FDG-PET can modify radiation therapy treatment plans for patients with non-small cell lung cancer. Click here to read it.

Forecasting radiation oncology treatment requirements needed for equipment acquisition and facilities planning is under way at cancer treatment centers throughout the world as the baby boomer generation ages. Our Insider Exclusive for this newsletter highlights the use of criterion-based benchmarking as tested by Canadian researchers to predict the rates of optimal radiation therapy treatment needed by prostate cancer patients.

Electronic brachytherapy is a technology that offers the potential to improve patient care and significantly decrease treatment costs. Early results have been reported about this technology's use for breast cancer patients -- learn more by clicking here.

If you are trying to determine if your radiation oncology information system helps qualify you to meet "meaningful use" requirements and receive federal stimulus fund payments to adopt electronic health records, check out this article about the still-mired-in-mystery healthcare IT certification process. It's informative.

AuntMinnie.com is heading to San Diego in 30 days. Hope to see you there!