Dear AuntMinnie Member,
The U.S. isn't used to being a technology laggard, particularly with respect to healthcare, but one area where it's fallen behind is ultrasound contrast. While the U.S. muddles along with only two commercially available agents for cardiology applications, radiologists in Europe have access to ultrasound contrast for a gamut of both radiology and cardiology procedures.
The situation may be changing, however. Ultrasound contrast advocates in the U.S. have been pushing to get contrast approved for radiology use, and their efforts are being rewarded with the launch of two clinical trials that could lead to broader availability, according to a presentation this week at the Leading Edge in Diagnostic Ultrasound conference.
Senior editor Erik L. Ridley is on hand to report on the conference proceedings for our redesigned Ultrasound Digital Community, which is sporting a new, cleaner look just in time for the conference. Click here to learn about what's going on in ultrasound contrast, and check back in the community this week for more reporting from Atlantic City.
The good, bad, and ugly of healthcare reform
Our apologies to Clint Eastwood, but some Washington, DC, watchers are likening the new healthcare reform law's impact on radiology to the actor's epic spaghetti western film, according to a story in our Imaging Center Digital Community by associate editor Kate Madden Yee.
The positive aspects of the bill include its resolution of uncertainty over the direction of healthcare reform, in addition to some provisions that could reduce physician self-referral. The bad stuff includes cuts in the equipment utilization rate and the lack of an effective fix for the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula.
And the ugly? A few provisions that have some folks who have actually read the legislation worried. Find out what they are by clicking here, or visit the community at centers.auntminnie.com.
