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Case Study of the
Month:
Horseshoe Kidney17-year-old girl with melena, who had an upper
endoscopy at an outside hospital showing a
non-bleeding peptic ulcer. Go to case study |
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Free Continuing Education
(see article to right)
Anatomy and Physiology Review for Nuclear Medicine Technology - 2009 Update
Cardiac Electrophysiology for Nuclear Medicine Technology - 2007 Update
Correct Coding for Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine Procedures, Part 1
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging - 2009 Update
Stress Testing in Cardiac Nuclear Medicine Technology - 2009 Update
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CE Meeting
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Blood Pool Imaging: Multiple Gated Acquisitions  (MUGA) & GI Bleeding Scans
Date: October 28, 2009 Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Presentation at 6:00 p.m.
Radiopharmacy, Inc.
1409 E. Virginia St.
Evansville, IN 47711
Please RSVP by October 27, 2009 by calling Radiopharmacy, Inc. at
(812) 421-1002. You may also fax your reservation at (812) 421-1004 or email
us @ news@radiopharmacy.com
Sponsored By:
Covidien
Radiopharmacy, Inc.
Approved for 1 hour technologist CE credit
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AMA CPT Codes Released for Myocardial Perfusion Imaging Effective on January 1, 2010
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The 2010 Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) electronic
file was released by the American Medical Association (AMA) on
September 29, 2009. New, deleted and revised codes will be effective on
January 1, 2010. Important changes were made to the myocardial
perfusion imaging (MPI) codes. These new and deleted codes are listed
in the table on the SNM website.
The new MPI codes are the result of action taken by the AMA Five
Year Review Identification workgroup and the Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services (CMS), which works to identify high volume and
potentially misvalued codes. They found that the MPI code CPT 78465,
and the add-on codes for wall motion (WM) and ejection fraction(EF)
78478 & 78480 were billed together by the same physician greater
than 95 percent of the time, and therefore recommended (requested) the
construction of new inclusive codes to eliminate potential redundancy.
In response, new MPI code proposals were submitted jointly by the
Society of Nuclear Medicine (SNM), the American College of Cardiology
(ACC), the American College of Radiology (ACR) and the American Society
of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC). The multispecialty society team
collaborated over a year and developed a MPI package of codes that
describe the entirety of the procedures. Providers will continue to
bill separately for the ECG stress test, using the CPT 93015-93017
codes as well as any drug and radiopharmaceutical supply codes
administered.
Go to the complete article.
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SNM Urges Congress to Support CARE Bill
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CARE bill ensures standards for nuclear medicine technologists across states
SNM is calling on Congress to support the Consistency,
Accuracy, Responsibility and Excellence in Medical Imaging and
Radiation Therapy Act (CARE bill), which would ensure that states set
minimum education and credentialing standards for nuclear medicine
technologists. The bill (H.R. 3652) was introduced Sept. 28 in the U.S.
House of Representatives by Rep. John Barrow (D-Ga.).
"The introduction of the CARE bill is excellent news," said Cybil
Nielsen, MBA, CNMT, president of SNM's Technologists Section (SNMTS).
"We have been working with many partners over the past several years to
ensure that minimum standards are set across states for nuclear
medicine technologists. We call on Congress to support this critical
legislation."
The CARE bill would set certification standards in the Medicare
program for any personnel providing, planning and delivering all
medical imaging examinations and radiation therapy. Ensuring that
nuclear medicine technologists performing scans are certified by their
states will increase the safety and accuracy of medical examinations
and radiation therapy procedures and, in turn, the quality and value of
care for patients. More than 16 million nuclear medicine scans are
performed each year in the U.S. Go to the complete article.
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Potential New Imaging Agent for Malignant Melanoma
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Scientists in Australia are reporting development and testing in laboratory animals of a potential new material for diagnosing malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer.
Ivan Greguric and colleagues working within the Cooperative Research Consortium for Biomedical Imaging Develop, an Australian Government funded research group, note that about 130,000 new cases of malignant melanoma occur each year worldwide. Patients do best with early diagnosis and prompt treatment. The positron emission tomography (PET) scans sometimes used for diagnosis sometimes miss small cancers, delaying diagnosis and treatment.
The scientists' search for better ways of diagnosis led them to a new group of radioactive imaging agents, called fluoronicotinamides, which they tested in laboratory mice that had melanoma. The most promising substance revealed melanoma cells with greater accuracy than imaging agents now in use, the scientists note. As a result, this substance could become a "superior" PET imaging agent for improving the diagnosis and monitoring the effectiveness of treatment of melanoma, they say. Clinical trials with this new agent are now scheduled for 2010.
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Breastfeeding Information
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The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission states that breastfeeding need  not be interrupted after administration of sodium iodide I 123 in doses up to 20 MBq (0.5 mCi) to a nursing mother. However, to follow the principle of keeping exposure "as low as reasonably achievable", some experts recommend nursing the infant just before administration of the radiopharmaceutical and interrupting breastfeeding for 3 to 6 hours after the dose, then expressing the milk completely once and discarding it. If the mother has expressed and saved milk prior to the examination, she can feed it to the infant during the period of nursing interruption.
Mothers concerned about the level of radioactivity in their milk could ask to have it tested at a nuclear medicine facility at their hospital and when the radioactivity is at background levels they may safely resume breastfeeding. A method for measuring milk radioactivity and determining the time when a mother can safely resume breastfeeding has been published.
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Lexiscan Safety Studied
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Lexiscan requires infrequent use of aminophylline to reverse its effect in case of adverse events, according to a study conducted by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic and presented at the American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) meeting in Minneapolis. The researchers compared patient characteristics, side effects, and aminophylline treatment timing and dosage for 2,015 patients randomized to Lexiscan (1337) or Adenoscan (678).
Results showed that aminophylline was given to 46 Lexiscan patients and 12 Adenoscan patients. Although aminophylline use was slightly higher for patients randomized to Lexiscan, no specific adverse event occurred significantly more often with Lexiscan than with Adenoscan, Astellas said.
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Free Continuing Education
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 There are currently 26 NucMed credits available on the Covidien www.nucmeded.org web site. All classses are free of charge. See below some of the offerings.
Anatomy and Physiology Review for Nuclear Medicine Technology - 2009 Update
Cardiac Electrophysiology for Nuclear Medicine Technology - 2007 Update
Correct Coding for Diagnostic Nuclear Medicine Procedures, Part 1
Myocardial Perfusion Imaging - 2009 Update
Stress Testing in Cardiac Nuclear Medicine Technology - 2009 Update
Enrollment Instructions:
Go to www.nucmeded.org
Click on the self-enroll button
Fill out the information and click on submit
A link will pop up taking you back to main page
Login into site. Go to the site now
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KSNMT FALL 2009 EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM
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KSNMT FALL 2009 EDUCATION
SYMPOSIUM
HOLIDAY INN HURSTBOURNE
KSNMT Site
NOVEMBER 7, 2009
7:15 - 8:00
Registration and
breakfast
8:00 - 8:15
Welcome
8:15 - 9:15
Making your lab exclusive (ICANL)
- Mary
Beth Farrell, MS, CNMT, NCT, RT(N)
9:15-10:15
PET: Diversification beyond FDG-18
- Eric Schockling, BS, CNMT
10:15-10:30
Break
10:30-11:30
First Pass Imaging - Jill
Vajen, CNMT
11:30-12:20
Lunch
12:20-12:45
Business Meeting - election of officers
12:45- 1:45 New
Technology with Hardware/Software
in Nuclear Medicine
- Jill Vajen, CNMT
1:45 - 2:45
The
next chapter in nuclear cardiology
- Kathryn Ayers, CNMT, NCT
2:45 - 3:00
Break
3:00 - 4:00
Impact
of SPECT/CT in Nuclear Medicine
- Partha
Ghosh, MD
4:00 - 4:15
Wrap-up
Program will be submitted for 6 VOICE
credits
*May be subject to change without
notice*
Call Radiopharmacy for a registration form.
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For Sale....Slightly used, heavily discounted
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 Lead Bricks..........$60.00 each
Rectangular Lead Brick; 8" l x 4" w x 2" h (20 x 10 x 5 cm), 27 lb (12.5 kg)/each
Thyroid Uptake Neck Phantom....$295.00
(Complete with Bottle Carrier, Capsule Holder and 12 Polyethylene bottles)
Lead Apron...................$100.00
......a protective shield of lead and rubber that may be worn by a patient, radiologic technologist or radiologist.
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Technologist Job Line
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If you are interested in the following position please feel free to contact the department directly, or give us a call at the pharmacy. Technologists looking for full-time or part-time position.
Karen Foncannon: 731-661-9287 Wk: 731-541-7866
Contact info: Karen.foncannon@hotmail.com
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Radiopharmacy Services
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Survey Meter Calibration: 
Radiopharmacy's price for survey meter calibration is $50.00/meter. Shipping and handling from and back to your location is $20.00. Shipping will be by FedEx ground unless otherwise specified. We will pick up the instrument, send it to Mid-America Calibrations, and after calibration return it directly to you. If required, Radiopharmacy has rental survey meters while your unit is being calibrated.
Co-57 Flood Sources and Dose Calibrator Reference Sources 
Don't forget; Radiopharmacy, Inc. sells all types of radioactive sources for all types of cameras and equipment. We supply sources from a variety of major vendors in our efforts to pass along the best products at the lowest cost. Just give us a call for a price quote or for information about anything your department may need.
Linearity Check
Radiopharmacy, Inc. has a Lineator for performing dose calibrator linearity. The Lineator allows linearity to be performed in minutes rather than days. Call Radiopharmacy for more information.
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Radiopharmacy, Inc. is staffed by
Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacists (BCNP's) with advanced education, training
and experience in the preparation, distribution, and pharmacology of
radiopharmaceuticals. Our staff is always available to answer questions or
research information regarding radiopharmaceuticals and nuclear medicine
studies, unexpected biodistributions, adverse reactions, drug interactions,
radiation safety, regulatory requirements, and reimbursement strategies. We also offer assistance with literature
searches, research design preparation, investigational drug procurement,
specialized labeling procedures, pharmacokinetic analyses, and dosimetry
estimations.
Radiopharmacy's services are
designed to assist your department in offering the newest, most progressive therapies
and diagnostic tests available, and to help you maximize your overall
efficiency in order to improve patient satisfaction and your profitability. To go to our website click on the image above.
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NOTE TO READERS: In an
effort to keep the Monthly Scan relevant, useful and informative,
feedback on the contents of the newsletter is welcome. Readers desiring
to contribute articles, suggestions for future articles, bulletins,
website postings, and other items of interest to the Monthly Scan
readership, should contact a pharmacist at Radiopharmacy, Inc. Sincerely,
CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE
This
communication is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may
contain information that is confidential, privileged, or otherwise
exempt from disclosure under applicable law. If you are not the
intended recipient(s), the dissemination, distribution, or copying of
this message is strictly prohibited. If you have received this
communication in error, please contact the sender immediately and
destroy all copies of the original message and any attachments.
Receipt by anyone other than the named recipient(s) does not constitute
a waiver of any applicable privilege. |
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