Allowing physicians to choose a stress test modality for lower-risk patients presenting at an emergency department with chest pain was more cost-effective than mandating a cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) stress test, according to a study published online Nov. 29 in Circulation: Cardiovascular Imaging. In an observation unit (OU), provider choice care resulted in similar results as CMR-mandated care, with a lower price tag.

Because a large proportion of patients affected by atrial fibrillation (AF) or atrial flutter are older when they are hospitalized, the Medicare system takes a big financial hit. Implementing measures to lower readmission rates could help lessen the blow to the Medicare system and reduce the high cost burden associated with treating these AF and atrial flutter patients, according to a study published online first  Nov. 28 in the American Journal of Cardiology.

Medicare patients who underwent coronary CT angiography (CCTA) for an initial diagnostic evaluation of suspected coronary artery disease (CAD) were more likely to undergo subsequent invasive procedures and accrue more costs than patients given stress tests, researchers reported in the Nov. 16 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

A more multidisciplinary and team-based approach in research and clinical settings. More use of registries and EMRs. More trends showing healthier patients. And above all others, more of a push to find value and cost savings in a changing reimbursement environment. Those are the take-home messages for the cardiovascular community from leaders in research, practice, government and business as they share their perspectives on 2012s challenges and opportunities.

Every resourceful 10-year-old knows to search beneath couch cushions and check the pockets of last seasons coats to find overlooked cash.

As technologies advance, it is critical that our processes for evaluating them also evolve. This is no small task, but it is necessary to ensure that U.S. patients have access to medical care based on the most current science.

Since 1991, there has been a growing risk for malpractice litigation stemming from a failure to communicate urgent or unexpected clinical findings from diagnostic examinations, according to a study published in the November edition of  the Journal of the American College of Radiology.

The stock markets are not the only entities that abhor uncertainty. The rational world of medicine also wrestles with unknowns, but unlike some investors, it doesnt let fear drive its responses.