Medical Imaging Blog

Cardiology

Join McKesson Medical Imaging at American Society of Echocardiography Symposium

For 37 years, the American Society of Echocardiography has been dedicated to improving patient health and quality of life. It’s an organization of professionals committed to excellence in cardiovascular ultrasound and its application to patient care through education, advocacy, research and innovation to its members and the public.

Join McKesson Medical Imaging at American Society of Echocardiography Symposium

Their 23^rd Annual Symposium, entitled Cardiovascular Imaging: A Disease and a Patient-Based Approach, continues that tradition of excellence with a conference packed with educational sessions featuring state-of-the-art techniques and updates in diagnosis, treatment and patient care in the cardiovascular ultrasound field. Jointly sponsored by ASE and the ASE Foundation, the event will be held Saturday, June 30 – Tuesday, July 3, 2012 at the Gaylord National, National Harbor, MD.

Continue Reading: Join McKesson Medical Imaging at American Society of Echocardiography Symposium

Why Integrated Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Facilitate Successful Physician Structured Reporting

Posted By Bob Baumgartner

hemodynamic monitoring systems The image of a doctor dictating his clinical findings harkens back to a slower-paced, less tech-intensive society. While many cardiologists still rely on this old-style information exchange, cardiology departments are moving away from dictation, and embracing structured reporting.

Structured reporting, which allows for the easy collection of information into discrete data fields, is especially relevant for hemodynamic monitoring. An integrated hemodynamic system can automatically populate the physician cath report with the invasive procedure details, saving the physician significant time in documenting the procedure. In addition, many of these same fields are required for registry submission

Continue Reading: Why Integrated Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems Facilitate Successful Physician Structured Reporting

Top Cardiology Programs in the U.S.

cardiology and cardiac imaging Top-tier cardiology is available at a hospital near you.

That’s the news from Becker’s Hospital Review, which published 70 Hospitals With Great Cardiology. The list is compiled on the basis of clinical accolades, quality care and contributions to the field of cardiology. Becker’s emphasizes that hospitals cannot pay to get on the list.

We don’t have room to feature all 70 hospitals, so we’ll highlight a few details about one in each major region of the U.S.

Continue Reading: Top Cardiology Programs in the U.S.

Medical Imaging Sneak Preview: McKesson Cardiology EP™ at Heart Rhythm 2012

heart rhythm society scientific session The Heart Rhythm Society has been educating and inspiring clinicians and the lay community about the field of electrophysiology and its innovations for generations, helping to improve and extend the lives of arrhythmia patients since the dawn of medical imaging.

This May 9-12, 2012, the Society’s 33^rd Annual Scientific Sessions will be held in Boston where leaders in the medical field will share the latest state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment options. And for the first time ever, we will be in attendance previewing our new workflow solution for electrophysiology (EP) departments.

Continue Reading: Medical Imaging Sneak Preview: McKesson Cardiology EP™ at Heart Rhythm 2012

5 Benefits of Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems

hemodynamic monitoring system benefits It wasn’t too long ago that hemodynamic monitoring was difficult, cumbersome and fully analog. Today of course, with the advent of digital computerized systems, “hemodynamic monitoring” has become synonymous with procedural charting. Now the technologist is not only responsible for “true” hemodynamic monitoring, they must divert some of their attention to charting and recoding of the case.

This requires the hemodynamic monitoring system to be easy and streamlined to use, and to fully integrate the many facets of hemodynamic monitoring with the latest requirements to electronically track inventory, capture billing, assist in physician reporting and collect data for registry submissions. McKesson’s Horizon Cardiology Hemo system, for example,

Continue Reading: 5 Benefits of Hemodynamic Monitoring Systems

The Business Case for CVIS

ROI for CVIS Does a CVIS make good business sense? The following story may help you answer that question.

A few years ago the administration at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey was ready to take a big step. They wanted to replace an analog-based CVIS (yes, they were using VCR’s) with a digital system. And they wanted to improve operational and energy efficiency. And they wanted to make the change on a tight budget.

Continue Reading: The Business Case for CVIS

Echocardiography and the Evolution of Heart Treatment

evolution of echocardiography “In the 1950s eight out of 10 babies [in Britain] with a complex congenital heart condition died before their first birthday. Today eight out of 10 of those babies grow up to be adults, thanks to advances in diagnosis, treatment and care.”

That’s the first paragraph of a story from The Guardian, one of Britain’s top newspapers. It goes on to chronicle how echocardiography – among many other things – enabled such an extraordinary turnaround.

Continue Reading: Echocardiography and the Evolution of Heart Treatment

Join McKesson Medical Imaging at ACC 2012 Cardio Science & Expo

Posted By Allan Noordvyk

McKesson Medical Imaging at ACC.12 For over 60 years, the American College of Cardiology (ACC) has been renowned for its dedication to lifelong learning. Their Annual Scientific Session and Expo, being held this year in Chicago on March 24th-26^th, is due once again to be the premiere cardiovascular educational occasion of the year.

You’ll hear from some of the top leaders in cardiology – including several members of the McKesson Medical Imaging team – and learn about the latest advances in pharmaceuticals, imaging, medical devices, medical imaging software, electronic health record (EHR) technologies and the services you need to provide high-quality patient care.

Continue Reading: Join McKesson Medical Imaging at ACC 2012 Cardio Science & Expo

New Guidelines on PCI Focus on Collaboration

Posted By Allan Noordvyk

In November 2011, new guidelines for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were issued after a collaborative effort by the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology Foundation (ACCF), the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), and other medical organizations. (The article is available here.)

James C. Blankenship, MD, vice-chair of the committee that produced the guidelines and director of cardiology at Geisinger Medical Center in Pennsylvania, reported to Cardiovascular Business that the guidelines reflect a concerted effort to write about – and perform – PCI collaboratively.

Continue Reading: New Guidelines on PCI Focus on Collaboration

Echocardiography Saves Lives in Emergency Rooms

The opening sentence of Wikipedia’s “Echocardiography” entry is “Not to be confused with electrocardiography.”

That’s for sure.

Echocardiography is a cardiac ultrasound that produces 2D or, increasingly, 3D real-time images of a heart. Moreover, an echocardiogram can analyze valve function, blood flow in and out of the heart, “communications” between the left and right sides of the heart, and other cardiac functions.

Electrocardiography, on the other hand, measures the electrical activity of the heart over a period of time.

Both procedures are important in modern-day cardiac care, but echocardiography is increasingly being used in emergency rooms to quickly assess patients experiencing some form of cardiac distress.

Continue Reading: Echocardiography Saves Lives in Emergency Rooms