Banner MD Anderson’s 3D mobile mammography unit unveiled to the public
Phoenix, Arizona-based Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center recently celebrated the unveiling of The BIG Pink Bus, a mobile mammography unit hitting valley streets that will offer 3D mammogram screenings to thousands, particularly those in outlying areas. The bus is life-changing for women who might want or need a mammogram, but don’t have the ability to get to an imaging site themselves, the most convenient option to stay on top of their breast cancer screenings, the IDN said in a release.
“Scheduling a yearly mammogram screening is one of the easiest and most effective tools for treating breast cancer,” said Dr. Vilert Loving, chief of breast imaging and co-director of the Comprehensive Breast Cancer Program at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center. “The mobile mammography unit will bring Banner MD Anderson’s comprehensive breast program and its breast cancer experts right to people’s doorstep. We are so proud to make healthcare easier for the Phoenix metropolitan population.”
Funded by donors to the Banner Health Foundation including the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation, Bashas’ Family of Stores, Copper State Bolt & Nut Co., and the Board of Visitors Care Card program, The BIG Pink Bus will offer the same 3D mammography technology available at Banner MD Anderson’s brick-and-mortar facilities. The 3D mammogram images – the gold standard in early breast cancer detection – will be interpreted by Banner MD Anderson’s team of specialist breast imaging radiologists. Additionally, patients will have ready access to Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center’s comprehensive breast cancer program if further testing or treatment are needed.
Mayo Clinic and Mercy reach first major milestone in data collaboration
Mayo Clinic and Mercy are making a significant advancement in their global, first-of-its-kind 10-year collaboration agreement signed in the summer of 2022. As founding members of Mayo Clinic Platform_Connect, the two organizations will now be working together to analyze de-identified patient data as they search for new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent disease, providing better outcomes and lower costs of care.
Mayo Clinic Platform_Connect is a distributed data network that provides secure access to de-identified clinical data. Previously, Mercy and Mayo Clinic could use Connect to analyze data from their own organizations, but as of today, each organization can safely and securely analyze de-identified patient data from either health system.
This significantly larger data set allows researchers and innovators to better identify risk factors, predict illnesses and provide earlier treatment with the potential to positively impact millions of patients’ lives.
Intermountain Health restructures outpatient rehab services in Utah hospitals
Intermountain Health is restructuring its hospital-based outpatient rehabilitation services in Utah and is moving to a clinic model that will result in lower costs and allow for more virtual telehealth visits for patients.
This shift comes as Intermountain Health continues to expand its value-based care model. With the change, Intermountain is now charging about 30 percent less for outpatient rehab services, compared to the hospital-based system, the IDN said in a release. These services include physical, occupational, and speech therapy to help patients recovering from injury, managing pain, or following surgery.