Dear AuntMinnie Member,
As radiology and the healthcare community still struggle to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic, sometimes it can be gratifying to take a break and look to the stars. Maybe that's why our April 14 article on MRI of astronauts was the top story of the week.
Researchers from Texas performed brain scans of astronauts who had returned to Earth after long periods in space. The scans revealed a number of morphological changes in the brain that occurred as a result of extended space flight -- a finding that confirms previous research. Read more about this intriguing study in our MRI Community.
In other news in the modality, a novel 3D image fusion technique that combines CT and MRI data could help physicians diagnose coronary artery disease.
Radiology gets COVID-19 payments
Did your radiology practice get a payment from the U.S. government on April 10? If so, you're not alone.
But with the proliferation of COVID-19 relief programs, many providers aren't quite sure what the source of the money was. Rebecca Farrington of Healthcare Administrative Partners explains in a new article.
And researchers are beginning to investigate the economic impact the COVID-19 outbreak will have on radiology practices, many of which have seen patient volumes plummet as nonemergency scans are canceled. The pandemic could also affect radiology research.
In another intriguing radiology economics article, researchers from the University of Pennsylvania found that when a large commercial payor made a change to its utilization management policy, it resulted in higher use of hypofractionated radiation therapy for early-stage breast cancer -- a development that matches clinical guidelines.
5 steps to safe ultrasound
Be sure to check in with our Ultrasound Community to learn about five steps your practice should take to make sure you're safely scanning patients with ultrasound in the era of COVID-19. The guidelines reinforce existing cleaning and disinfection protocols, but they also introduce new safety measures. Visit the Ultrasound Community for more.
Finally, over 2,500 radiology professionals have registered for our 2020 Virtual Conference, scheduled for April 30 and May 1. You can join them and see the conference's agenda by visiting auntminnie.vfairs.com.
