We Have Met the Future

Posted on March 27, 2012 by Dr. Samir Shah

I can’t wait to “pinch and drag” to get a better look at potential abnormalities on a mobile screen!  

The New iPad for Radiology

The 2048 x 1536 which you will read in all the current write ups on the newest Apple iPad should be meaningless to radiologists. The 3.1 million pixels are fine and dandy, but those are numbers which bring a yawn to most practicing rads who have been reading on 3MP monitors for ages. The real kicker when looking at the stats for the new iPad is when you realize what the pixels per inch (PPI) means for this device – it’s an eye-popping 264 PPI which really makes things interesting for what I believe will be the mobile PACS platform of tomorrow.

Retina Display Catches Imaging Subtleties

Taking the cue from the iPhone, which has a ridiculous 326 PPI, the “Retina display” on the third generation iPad is shockingly beautiful to witness. It literally makes my iPad 2 resolution seem grainy and antiquated. The Retina display is really what radiologists deal with on an everyday basis with their high-resolution monitors, in order to catch the subtle findings of pathology in medical imaging. The inherent contrast and brightness abilities of the iPad’s graphics processor do fit the needs of both CR and DR modalities. In addition, with a more powerful processor and graphics processor, with improved in-plane switching and color saturation (for looking at the device at different angles), the tablet will do justice to radiologic images.

The New iPad is Home Run

Now, in hindsight, it is absurd to realize that the Retina display on this device is not as groundbreaking as it should be. It is a barrier which could have been pushed earlier. After all, this Retina display was supplied by many companies to Apple, including Samsung, LG and Sharp. Apple, for some reason, has always capitalized on making higher than usual displays, and I am surprised that resolution in commercially available monitors hasn’t taken on the same constant battle of increasing megapixels in the camera market. For the American consumer of electronics, bigger/more usually means better. However, when I recently saw the reaction of consumers to seeing the display of the new iPad in the local Apple store (which is really the biggest update to the device), I knew that it was going to be another home run.

Healthcare Breakthrough

That being said, what Apple has done by pushing this envelope, is to create a 10-inch space where there is just enough screen to look at plain film imaging as a single image. For example, a radiologist wouldn’t having to pan to properly see the whole chest on a chest x-ray. Add in the 4G LTE high speed network, and the breakthrough that this represents for healthcare becomes clearer. The speeds available on 4G beat many home network Wi-Fis currently in existence.

And yes, Apple generously included a Dragon-based dictation system into the new device.

Wow – it’s as if they were thinking of us all along! 

In what other healthcare specialties do you think the new iPad  will be useful?

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Will you be ready for retirement?

Posted on March 7, 2012 by Michelle Torkelson

More and more employees are investing in their futures through 401(k) plans.  Experts agree that most of us will need to accumulate 10 to 12 times our final years’ pay to have enough capital to provide income in retirement. 

 

What is a 401(k) plan?  

A 401(k) is a type of retirement plan offered by an employer.  Employees enroll in the 401(k) plan, and elect how much money they want to deduct, or defer, from their paycheck.  At vRad, employees pick a percentage of their paycheck that they want to defer.  The IRS sets a limit as to how much a person can defer on an annual basis.  For 2012, the employee deferral limit is $17,000 a year.  If you are 50 years of age or older, you can do an additional deferral of $5,500 a year as a catch-up contribution.  The employer will withhold that deferral amount from the employee’s paycheck, and will send the money to the 401(k) account.  As a participant in a 401(k) plan, you choose how you want your money invested by picking the funds available in plan.

 

Why participate in a 401(k) plan?

Tax Benefit
In a traditional 401(k) plan, your contributions are taken out of your paycheck on a pre-tax basis.  This lowers your taxable income, and allows you to save, with less impact on your take-home pay. When you reach retirement age and start withdrawing money from the plan, your pre-tax savings and earnings will be taxed as ordinary income. 

Free Money
Most employers will match a percentage of your contributions.  What does this mean – FREE MONEY!!  At vRad, we offer a match after six months of employment.  vRad matches 100% of the first 3% you contribute and 50% of the following 2% you contribute. To take advantage of the full match, a vRad employee needs to contribute 5% to the 401(k) plan, and vRad will match it at 4%.  If you don’t participate in the plan, you are leaving money on the table.

 

Easy Way to Save

Since the money is taken directly out of your paycheck, it’s an easy way to save on a regular basis. 

The 401(k) plan is a valuable part of you benefits package and offers an easy and convenient way to save and invest money for the future. 

 

Why do you contribute to at 401(k) plan?

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New Horizons in Breast Imaging: 3D Tomosynthesis Mammography

Posted on February 28, 2012 by Dr. Arlene Sussman

Conventional 2D mammography images the whole breast in one exposure. Two images of each breast at orthogonal angles to one another are then acquired in order to aid the physician in creating a mental 3D picture of the breast. This is to ensure that the doctor is able to extrapolate information from 2D pictures and then subsequently find them in 3D space, in this case, the breast. The Achilles heel of conventional 2D mammography is the ability to find cancer in women with mammographically dense breasts. While it is fairly straightforward to visually detect cancer in a fatty breast, only about 50 percent of cancers will be visible in extremely dense breasts.

 

Digital Tomosynthesis

 

There are several new technologies today to help the radiologist overcome this fundamental weakness in imaging. One of the most promising techniques is called digital tomosynthesis. Digital tomosynthesis produces a 3D view of breast tissue. The x-ray tube is moved through a limited arc angle while the breast is compressed and a series of images are acquired. The series, usually about 16 images, are then reconstructed to form a three-dimensional image set.

 

3D Imaging Benefits

 

The potential benefits include greater conspicuity of abnormalities by elimination of overlapping fibroglandular structures, fewer callbacks for additional imaging thereby reducing patient anxiety, better visualization leading to improved categorization of size, shape and location of tumor, fewer false positive findings requiring biopsy, and finally, better visualization of potential multifocal sites of tumor.

 

Tomosynthesis Radiation

 

The radiation dose for digital tomosynthesis is under the FDA regulated limit for mammography. Adding tomosynthesis does involve a minimal amount of additional radiation compared with a standard mammogram.

 

Future Use of Tomosynthesis

 

While preliminary clinical studies have shown efficacy, more rigorous studies are currently underway to establish the potential applications of tomosynthesis.

 

What are the future applications of tomosynthesis?

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Video: Changes in Radiology

Posted on February 22, 2012 by Dr. Benjamin W. Strong

Dr. Benjamin Strong predicts radiology will see the biggest changes of all of the medical specialties in the upcoming years. Because radiology is based on a static image that persists over time and is always a reference point that can be looked at later, it plays a unique role in patient care. Dr. Strong thinks the quality of interpretations will be emphasized, codified, and documented in ways other fields cannot be. While he expects big changes in reimbursement models, he also expects radiology to play a different role in terms of clinical medicine.

How do you think radiology’s role in clinical medicine will change?

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