The key to meeting the latest Joint Commission standards for diagnostic imaging, and preparing for future initiatives, is developing an effective dose monitoring program, according to Olav Christianson, clinical dose optimization service team leader at Landauer Medical Physics.

Earlier this year, research in Annals of Emergency Medicine showed that patients who develop an acute kidney injury after contrast-enhanced CT are at an increased risk of major adverse effects within a year. The findings could be substantial, but there are still too many questions to be sure, argues a recently published editorial.

Siemens Healthcare announced late last week that syngo Dynamics VA10, the company’s cardiovascular imaging software, has been approved by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) for use with its VistA Imaging System. 

No standards currently exist for radiologists to follow during the documentation of contrast reactions, but according to a recent research article in the Journal of the American College of Radiology, the creation of such standards could lead to improved documentation and better overall patient care.

Recent research published in the American Journal of Roentgenology studied radiologist characteristics that may impact false-positive rates and sensitivity in diagnostic mammograms performed either for additional evaluation of a recent mammogram or to evaluate a breast problem. 

With more than one million patient contacts each year, Lee Memorial Health System considers patient engagement the order of the day every day. For Mike Smith, CIO of the six-hospital, 1,423-bed organization based in Fort Myers, Fla., this enterprise-wide emphasis means constantly working to ramp up IT-enabled interactions via—among other interfaces—an increasingly in-demand patient portal.

Updating protocol and contrast media policies can lead fewer interruptions in radiology reading rooms, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alliance HealthCare Services, Inc. (AIQ), a leading national provider of outsourced healthcare services, announces that its divisions, Alliance Radiology & Alliance Oncology, have received four Avatar Patient Experience Awards for industry-leading patient satisfaction, quality and innovative approaches to transforming the patient experience.