Truven Analytics unveiled the names of its top 50 cardiovascular hospitals in the U.S., adding that the healthcare system would shave $1 billion off costs if peer hospitals achieved the standards of the winners.

The estimated lifetime risk of major coronary events for women with breast cancer treated with radiation therapy in contemporary practice is 0.3 percent in a typical scenario, according to an analysis published Oct. 28 in JAMA Internal Medicine. But the risk can climb as high as 3.5 percent.

“The future of medicine is increasingly in the hands of those who are effective users of clinical data.”

This is a tale of making cardiac care better. Better for patients, better for the caregivers providing it, and better for a hospital morphing and migrating to thrive in the new world of accountable care.

By teaming together, cardiologists and emergency care physicians are finding ways to improve efficiencies and patient care.

While most nurses are satisfied with their career choice, many are not happy in their current jobs, according to the 2013 Survey of Registered Nurses published Oct. 24. The survey also revealed differences in opinion between older and younger nurses on the changing direction of healthcare and their optimism about the future of nursing.

The practice of medicine continues to be challenged by the rapid evolution of technology. That’s especially difficult when physicians lack strong evidence or must make decisions amid conflicting findings.

Wars leave damage in their wake, and the war on cancer may be no exception. Radiation therapy and chemotherapy have improved survivorship, but they also may leave the cardiovascular system battle scarred.