MEDICAL IMAGING RESOURCES: Medical Imaging News

Managed Medical Imaging (MMI) updates this page with news about medical imaging technology and the medical imaging industry:
 

MEDICAL IMAGING NEWS:

July 24th, 2008 - Fuji to stop support service on Fuji FCR 5000 and Fuji SmartCR Fuji is quietly telling hospitals and diagnostic centers throughout the country that they are going to stop supporting the FCR 5000 and SmartCR products as they reach what Fuji calls "end of life" for those two product lines. MMI will continue supporting the Fuji FCR 5000 and Fuji SmartCR and has a large parts inventory that can meet the support needs for clients for years to come.  We will continue to offer support services for clients in and outside Florida for both CR systems.     July 17, 2008 - Should Medicare Stop Medical Imaging Before It Starts?   Medicare has been trying to clamp down on burgeoning costs from medical imaging. But a new GAO report suggests the agency might have more success if it were to stop unnecessary CT scans, MRIs and the like before they happen in the first place.   To cut imaging costs, Medicare has been cutting certain physician payments, sifting through its data to spot improper claims, and educating medical practitioners about the issue. But the GAO’s suggestions for Medicare include weighing a front-end tactic that’s common in the private health-insurance market: prior authorization. That’s when, for a patient to get coverage, an insurer has to give permission before something takes place. “We believe that post-payment claims review alone is inadequate to manage one of the fastest growing parts of Medicare,” the GAO said.   To read the full report, click on the PDF icon at left.     READ FULL ARTICLE   June 16, 2008 - Florida Radiology Associates is closing its doors after 40 years.   The Altamonte Springs group, which until recently employed 48 radiologists and 64 billing personnel, lost its exclusive contract a few months ago to provide X-ray services to Florida Hospital. Executive Director Charles May had hoped to land other contracts to keep the business going, but last week said the group announced it would cease operating "over the next several months." Thirty-two of its radiologists will join Florida Hospital's new in-house group, Radiology Specialists of Florida, May said.     June 19, 2008 - Fujifilm Introduces Breast Imaging Diagnostic Workstation Delivers Full Synapse(R) PACS Capabilities in the Form of a Workstation for Digital Breast Imaging   Fujifilm Medical Systems USA, Inc. announced today that it is introducing the Breast Imaging Diagnostic Workstation (BIDW). Available for any U.S. facility that has implemented Full Field Digital Mammography (FFDM), the BIDW is being introduced specifically to complement Fujifilm's Computed Radiography for Mammography (FCRm) solution and provide better workstation interpretation capabilities for facilities that may use another vendor's PACS. Delivering full Synapse® PACS functionality, this new standalone workstation is designed to be a supplement to any facility's existing PACS, and meet the market need for more clinically and operationally advanced systems to support breast imaging. - link      May 5th, 2008   GE healthcare systems confirmed that the FDA has notified them that they have satisfied the criteria in the January 2007 consent decree.  Managed Medical Imaging services all models of OEC C-Arms and anticipates increased need for our imaging equipment services as a result of this decision.   The GE Healthcare press release states:   (GE Healthcare) SALT LAKE CITY – MAY 5, 2008 — The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has notified GE Healthcare’s Surgery business, headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, that the company has satisfied the criteria in the January 2007 consent decree required to resume operations. The OEC® 9900 Elite Carm, a fluoroscopy device that uses x-rays to reveal real-time imagery of a patient’s internal structure, is the first product to receive manufacturing and shipping authorization. More than 300 of these units will be shipped to customers in the first 10 days after this notification.     “Above all, this is a great day for our customers,” said Joe Hogan, President and CEO of GE Healthcare.  “We’d like to thank the thousands of hospitals that stood by and waited with us, believing in our product and our team. We can assure them, with the refinements we have made to our Surgery business’ Quality Management System and the OEC 9900 C-arm, we have raised our own standards, creating a foundation that will serve our customers well into the future.”   Every day, seven out of ten surgeons rely on an OEC C-arm in their operating rooms. In fact, during GE Healthcare Surgery’s stop ship, many customers continued to hold their orders for equipment, some waiting more than eighteen months.   Read Press Release

April 15, 2008 (Imaging Economics)   On April 3, Rep Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY) introduced HR 5711, the Assure Access to Mammography Act of 2008, into the House.   The legislation would create a reimbursement floor for mammography services in 2009 equal to 115% of what was paid for the same services in 2008, subject to geographic area adjustment.   1 in 8 women in the United States will develop breast cancer in their lifetime.   The American Cancer Society recommends that women 40 and older have a mammogram every year. Early detection through mammograms can give women hope by significantly increasing their chance of survival from breast cancer. Over the last 7 years, due to better technology, the number of breast cancer cases that have been diagnosed has increased by 20%. However, the percentage of women receiving mammograms has been on the decline since 2000.   The bill was referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and the House Committee on Ways and Means. Read Full Article

April 4, 2008 (Fuji News) iCAD’s SecondLook® Digital Computer-Aided Detection system for mammography received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for sale with Fujifilm Computed Radiography for Mammography (FCRm) systems. SecondLook Digital for FCRm is the first CAD product approved and available in the U.S. for use with computer radiography (CR).   iCAD’s SecondLook Digital system coupled with the Fuji CR Mammography system will improve our ability to detect potentially malignant calcifications and masses and we expect that it will increase our overall standard of care,” said Jeffrey Mendel, M.D., Chairman of Radiology at Caritas St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts. “Additionally, seamless integration of iCAD’s product with our PACS system will improve the efficiency of our reading and our overall digital workflow.   Since Fujifilm received FDA approval for FCRm in July 2006, the company has enjoyed record sales in the US market, enabling the conversion to digital of nearly 500 mammography exam rooms. FCRm is the world’s most widely used digital mammography technology with shipment of more than 4,400 systems worldwide. Read Full Press Release