Dear AuntMinnie Member,
VIENNA - The European Congress of Radiology (ECR) opened today, as radiology's pan-European conference recognized its past and looked forward to its future.
ECR 2010 president Dr. Malgorzata Szczerbo-Trojanowska of Poland welcomed attendees to Vienna, with the opening ceremony punctuated by the humorous classical stylings of the Mozart Group, a Polish quartet whose repertoire ranged from Mozart to moonwalking.
In addition, European Society of Radiology (ESR) president Dr. Christian Herold of Austria noted the ESR's strong growth since 2007, but offered a cautionary note regarding the threats to European radiology, including European Union rules on MRI and the issue of overspecialization in imaging.
You'll find coverage of scientific sessions in our RADCast @ ECR special section, including today's coverage comparing diffusion-weighted MRI to PET/CT, and stories on new advances in digital mammography and low-dose high-pitch coronary CT angiography.
We'll be bringing you more news from Vienna over the next few days … check it out at ecr.auntminnie.com.
Senate passes SGR fix
Meanwhile, back in the U.S., physicians got good news as the Senate was able to overcome the objections of a recalcitrant lawmaker and pass a short-term fix that further postpones a 21% cut in Medicare payments that had gone into effect on Monday.
The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services had asked its contractors to put a 10-day hold on claims payable under the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) until the mess got sorted out. That hold may be extended through April as the bill works its way to final passage. Learn more in our Imaging Center Digital Community or by clicking here.
SalaryScan still open
Finally, we're midway through our SalaryScan survey of compensation packages for radiology professionals. By filling out the survey, you'll be helping us create one of the most accurate online tools available for measuring radiology salaries ... and you'll also get a chance to win an Apple iPad tablet computer. Get started at salaryscan.auntminnie.com.
