Dear AuntMinnie Member,
A Kansas radiologist running for U.S. Senate has encountered turbulence in his bid to unseat his opponent in a Republican primary race.
Dr. Milton Wolf -- who is also a distant cousin of President Barack Obama -- is facing criticism after posting medical images of gunshot victims to his Facebook page several years ago -- and then allegedly joking about the images.
The story came to light as Dr. Wolf is trying to unseat Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS) in a race that's indicative of the growing fissures within the Republican party: Dr. Wolf has backing from the tea party wing, while Sen. Roberts represents the Republican establishment.
Dr. Wolf has apologized for the postings, which he said were removed from Facebook shortly after they were made in 2010. And looking to use the kerfuffle to his advantage, he's claiming the episode has been engineering by a Roberts campaign that is choosing to "attack doctors" rather than run on issues. Read more about the debate by clicking here.
Birnholz is back
In other news, Dr. Jason Birnholz is back with another of his popular articles on the clinical use of ultrasound. Dr. Birnholz reflects on the recent RSNA 2013 meeting, and considers how ultrasound has evolved over the years compared to other imaging modalities.
He believes that while other modalities have made strides in the use of computer processing and enhancement, resulting in extremely detailed images, ultrasound remains an unenhanced technology. Where is ultrasound as astonishing as CT, he asks.
Dr. Birnholz has several suggestions for curing what ails ultrasound. Find out what they are by clicking here, or visit our Ultrasound Digital Community.
While you're in the community, check out this article on the future of compact ultrasound, by our partners at U.K. consulting firm IHS.
More from HIMSS 2014
Finally, the 2014 edition of the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) meeting has drawn to a close, but we still have lots of great articles for you to peruse from the meeting in Orlando, FL.
For example, check out this article on how many hospitals are bringing control of PACS under their IT departments. Many facilities no longer want PACS to be operated as a separate silo from their IT operations, and they see the integration as deriving benefits for their facility. But does it work for radiology?
In addition, learn how a regional health information exchange (RHIO) set up in Rochester, NY, has helped facilitate the transfer of medical images -- saving lives in the process. Get the details by clicking here.
