Diagnostic Reading #45: Five Must-Read Articles From the Past Week

This week’s Diagnostic Reading focuses on duplicate imaging on emergency patients, medjacking, the cost doctors are paying for technology, tomosynthesis implementation, and the importance of setting up a data security plan.

This week’s Diagnostic Reading focuses on duplicate imaging on emergency patients, medjacking, the cost doctors are paying for technology, tomosynthesis implementation, and the importance of setting up a data security plan.

1. Study: Emergency Patients Get Duplicate X-ray, CT Exams – AuntMinne

Researchers from Emory University examined the cases of more than 3,600 patients who underwent both x-ray and CT studies on the same body part as part of their workup after admission to the emergency department (ED). The team found that many of these exams were unnecessary, with both x-ray and CT sometimes ordered simultaneously, or CT ordered before results from an initial x-ray study were received.

2. Medjacking: The Newest Healthcare Risk? – Healthcare IT News

A recent article in WorldNow proclaimed, “It may sound like a science fiction novel, but medical devices could someday be the target of hackers.” But the fact is that these devices are already being hacked, a trend that is alarming hospitals and other healthcare organizations. In fact, this kind of hacking is already widespread enough to have a new name: medjacking.

3. Docs are Paying More for Technology Than Ever Before – Healthcare IT News

According to a new MGMA report, medical practices across the U.S. are now spending a lot more on technology this year, up nearly 34 percent from four years ago. The annual report published by Medical Group Management Association shows that just from last year alone, physician-owned multi-specialty groups reported nearly a 12 percent increase in technology-related operating costs.

4. Imaging Department Reaps Benefits of Tomo After Careful Implementation – Radiology Business

The Baylor College of Medicine department of radiology recently implemented DBT at their breast imaging department. They wrote about the experience for the  Journal of the American College of Radiology, stressing the importance of taking things one step at a time. Ebuoma and colleagues wrote that the first step was getting staff fully prepared for the transition. From the person answering questions from behind the front desk to the radiologists interpreting the images, each staff member had to adapt to this new technology and how it would impact their day-to-day operations.

5. Data Security: The Importance of Planning, Training, and Having a Risk-Management Strategy – Healthcare Informatics

According to a recent report from the Breach Level Index, the healthcare industry had the highest number of data breaches in the first half of 2015 and also led the way in number of records breached by industry, with 84.4 million records. These findings represent a dramatic shift from the past few years when healthcare had relatively small numbers of records involved in data breaches, according to the report. The report findings are just one more reminder of the ongoing threats to healthcare information security and highlight the importance of building a strong information security program.

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