Mammograms have long been the first line of defense in detecting breast cancer, which continues to be one of the most common diseases in women today. Within the last decade, however, concerns have arisen over the reliability of mammograms to detect cancer in women with dense breast tissue.

The healthcare industry is becoming more mobile and efficient than ever before thanks to the adoption of technologies such as electronic health records (EHR) and electronic sharing, storing and accessing of medical data. These advances have all helped to give patients a more dynamic and comprehensive healthcare experience. They have also helped empower patients to take control of their own healthcare history and information.

At the surface, the term “advanced visualization” seems nebulous at best. Medical imaging technology continues to develop and advance at a rapid rate, so determining what qualifies as advanced remains a moving target as well. In general, however, the current cutting edge of imaging centers around 3-D/4-D viewing and mobile technology, with different specialties implementing them in unique ways.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) gathered public comments on its Stage 3 Meaningful Use (MU) requirements through May 30. The third and final set of MU rules are a core part of the plan to reform American healthcare by leveraging health information technology (IT) to help reduce costs, eliminate redundancies and convert from a fee-for-service to a fee-for-performance reimbursement system.

Today, treatment planning — the heart of radiation therapy systems — is almost entirely computer based, and is designed to help increase productivity by simplifying data for clinicians, making workflow smooth and seamless. This is key to helping improve patient outcomes. As technology progresses, so do treatment planning systems.

In the world of imaging, we typically look at medical imaging equipment as being a valuable tool for identifying and rooting out disease. However, it also has many other scientific uses that often seem a little off the beaten path.