Is big data turning hospital systems and physicians into Big Brother? Bloomberg News detailed how hospitals use consumer data derived from credit card transactions and public records to profile current and potential patients. Hospitals see the process as a way to identify high-risk patients and intervene early but advocacy groups call it an invasion of privacy.

The first stages of Choosing Wisely tackled less contentious issues in its successful rollout. Now it is time to step up efforts in ambition and scope.

Cath lab directors must balance the availability of products such as stents with costs in an environment where demand can change quickly.

It may seem like merely a local skirmish, but an effort by interventional cardiologists in the state of Washington to ensure coverage for drug-eluting stents serves as a roadmap for local and national initiatives targeting other advanced technologies.

Lines are straight and narrow. Tacking “guide” before them in the medical world, where the best course of action may not be straightforward and contributing factors can be wide, may create confusion.

In a nod to telemedicine, the Federation of State Medical Boards drafted a law that would allow physicians certified in a medical specialty to treat patients in other states without applying for multiple licenses.

Guidelines designed to lower the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease continue to spark controversy many months after their publication, primarily over two flash points: abandonment of cholesterol goals and the use of a new risk estimator.

Internet-connected computers that aren’t configured securely are a weak link in hospital systems that could be exploited to hack into control systems for implanted pacemakers, according to Wired.com. The report previewed Shakacon, an IT security conference.