Dear AuntMinnie Member,
It was the story that stunned radiology last year. When a traveling cardiac cath technologist was arrested in July 2012 on charges of infecting dozens of patients at a New Hampshire hospital with hepatitis C as part of an alleged drug diversion scheme, it left many imaging facilities wondering how it could have happened.
New Hampshire state health authorities have provided some answers to that question with an exhaustive report that details just how David Kwiatkowski was allegedly able to divert fentanyl intended for cardiac cath patients at Exeter Hospital and use it himself.
The report notes many of the warning signs and procedural lapses that were ignored in the case. Used fentanyl syringes were found at various locations around the hospital, and the suspicions of hospital staff about Kwiatkowski's behavior were ignored. What's more, fentanyl use at Exeter skyrocketed during the hepatitis outbreak -- and patients even reported experiencing more pain during cardiac cath procedures.
The sad thing is that this isn't the first time a technologist has been accused of diverting narcotics intended for patients. Find out what the warning signs of drug diversion look like by clicking here, or visit our Imaging Leaders Digital Community at leaders.auntminnie.com.
Is it time to start paying for VC screening?
If you're a member of the radiology community, your answer is probably "yes." But there are a lot of influential folks in the U.S. government who have to be convinced first before Medicare will start paying for virtual colonoscopy screening studies.
That's according to a new article we're featuring this week by international editor Eric Barnes. Based on an article in the July edition of the American Journal of Roentgenology, it profiles the efforts of VC proponents to meet all the objections that were raised in 2009 by the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which at the time rejected reimbursement for VC screening.
A wide range of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of virtual colonoscopy in the older population served by Medicare, in addition to addressing issues such as extracolonic findings and the risks of radiation exposure. Read more by clicking here, or visit our CT Digital Community at ct.auntminnie.com.
