Dear AuntMinnie Member,
Several medical imaging exams have landed on a new list of unnecessary medical procedures that researchers say are costing the Medicare system billions of dollars annually.
In a new article in JAMA Internal Medicine, a group from Harvard Medical School compiled a list of 26 medical procedures they felt were low value, which they defined as costing a lot without contributing significant benefits. The list included 12 medical imaging procedures.
The exams on the list are costing the Medicare system $1.9 billion to $8.5 billion annually in unnecessary costs, depending on how the costs are calculated, according to the researchers.
But representatives from organized radiology aren't impressed with the new study. They pointed out that efforts to control unnecessary imaging are already well underway, and these efforts have even been enshrined in the recent legislation that postponed reimbursement cuts under the sustainable growth rate (SGR) formula. Read more by clicking here.
2nd U.S. MERS case
Meanwhile, a second case of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) has appeared in the U.S.
The infected individual is a healthcare worker from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, which has experienced an outbreak of MERS cases in recent weeks. The worker flew from Saudi Arabia to Florida earlier this month, and was admitted to a hospital in Orlando on May 8, according to officials from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
CDC officials say the patient has been isolated and is doing well, and that the case does not represent any change in what we know about the disease. Read more by clicking here.
In related news, the World Health Organization issued an update on the MERS situation, stating that lapses in infection control at some Saudi hospitals may have led to the recent surge in cases. Find out more by clicking here, or visit our AuntMinnie Middle East special section at me.auntminnie.com.
3D MRI software
Finally, visit our Advanced Visualization Digital Community for an article on 3D quantification software developed at Johns Hopkins Hospital that can accurately quantify the extent of liver tumor necrosis following chemoembolization.
The researchers believe the software could provide a better way to monitor patients after therapy. Get the details by clicking here, or visit the community at av.auntminnie.com.
