Latest news with #OPTN
Business Wire
14-07-2025
- Health
- Business Wire
New Guideline Improves Patient Access to Advanced Ultrasound Assessment of Liver Diseases and Transplant Options, Experts Say
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Patients with liver diseases will have expanded access to advanced ultrasound imaging and transplant options, thanks to new policy allowing doctors to use contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to help assess certain liver cancers and determine whether a liver is healthy enough for transplantation, according to experts affiliated with the International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS). Patients with liver diseases will have expanded access to advanced ultrasound imaging and transplant options, thanks to new policy. Share 'This eliminates a significant roadblock to the appropriate use of CEUS at a time when patient lives are at stake,' said Dr. Yuko Kono, a transplant hepatologist and CEUS expert at the University of California San Diego and a member of the ICUS Board of Directors. ICUS was an early and strong supporter of the inclusion of CEUS as an approved imaging option for evaluation of a prevalent form of liver cancer known as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) under guidelines and policies established by the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). While OPTN plays a crucial role in the evaluation and allocation of livers for transplantation, its guidelines and policies often have a broader impact on the clinical practice of hepatology and the use of CEUS to evaluate liver disease, according to Dr. Andrej Lyshchik, a professor of radiology at Thomas Jefferson University and CEUS expert. Dr. Lyshchik is also a member of the ICUS Board of Directors. 'We cannot underestimate the clinical importance of having CEUS officially included in our imaging tool boxes,' said Dr. Lyshchik. ICUS called the new OPTN policy 'a critical step toward modernizing the diagnostic framework for HCC.' ICUS also said that the policy change will 'promote consistency, reduce interpretation errors, and enhance communication with referring physicians' by aligning OPTN imaging classification criteria with a standardized reporting and data collection system known as LI-RADS ®. CEUS is a safe, low-cost diagnostic imaging tool that is routinely used worldwide to assess abdominal and pelvic organs and tumors, heart and vascular disease, chronic gastro-intestinal diseases and other serious medical conditions, and to monitor therapy. 'CEUS solves many clinical problems efficiently, without exposure to ionizing radiation, and with sensitivity and specificity comparable to and sometimes better than contrast-enhanced CT and MRI,' said Dr. Stephanie Wilson, a clinical professor of radiology and gastroenterology at the University of Calgary and Co-President of ICUS. Because ultrasound systems are readily available in many medical centers throughout the world and provide reliable diagnostic information in real time, CEUS often streamlines clinical workflows and reduces delays in diagnosis and treatment, she added. Three ultrasound contrast agents are currently approved by the US Food and Drug Administration: Definity (Lantheus); Lumason (Bracco Imaging) and Optison (GE Healthcare). ABOUT ICUS: The International Contrast Ultrasound Society (ICUS) is a nonprofit medical society dedicated to advancing the safe and medically appropriate use of contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to improve patient care globally. Membership in ICUS is free of charge and there is no fee for ICUS educational programs, CME credits, newsletters or other resources. To join ICUS and learn more about CEUS, visit and download ICUS CONNECT, the free ICUS mobile app.
Fox News
02-07-2025
- Health
- Fox News
MAGA law group fights to expose how Biden's DEI agenda may have tainted life-saving organ transplants
A conservative legal group is trying to uncover whether the former Biden administration's focus on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives seeped into the nation's organ transplant system and led to prioritizing patients based on race. MAGA law group America First Legal is suing a number of federal health agencies to obtain documents related to the nation's organ transplant system. Specifically, they're targeting the Department of Health and Human Services, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and the Health Resources Services Administration, in an attempt to compel them to turn over documents related to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). In April 2023, AFL filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request seeking documents relevant to the Biden administration's efforts to infuse DEI into the organ transplant system. However, to date, AFL says it has not received any of the requested information and, as a result, decided to sue in an effort to compel the release of it. "The Biden Administration infected the federal government with 'equity,' replacing traditional principles of fairness and need with race-conscious criteria," said America First Legal Counsel Will Scolinos. "AFL is determined to uncover the complete scope of Biden-era DEI policies and will continue to take decisive action to restore colorblind healthcare." Just days after taking office in 2021, former President Joe Biden signed Executive Order 13985, directing all federal agencies to conduct "Equity Assessments" to determine whether "underserved communities and their members" faced systemic barriers to accessing federal programs. The order also required each agency to develop an action plan to address those barriers. As part of this effort, in December 2021, CMS issued a request to the public for comments on how the agency could "Advance Equity and Reduce Disparities in Organ Transplantation." "CMS is focused on identifying potential system-wide improvements that would increase organ donations, improve transplants, enhance the quality of care in dialysis facilities, increase access to dialysis services, and advance equity in organ donation and transplantation," the agency said at the time. "Communities of color have much higher rates of high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, all of which increase the risk for kidney disease. Black Americans are almost four times more likely, and Latinos are 1.3 times more likely, to have kidney failure compared to White Americans. Despite the higher risk, data shows that Black and Latino patients on dialysis are less likely to be placed on the transplant waitlist and have a lower likelihood of transplantation. Because of these stark inequities, CMS' [Request For Information] asks the public for specific ideas on advancing equity within the organ transplantation system." Meanwhile, several weeks later, the HRSA announced that the "labeling of race and ethnicity information for organ donors" would "change on a number of data reports available on the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) website." According to the HRSA, the move made the data "clearer, more consistent and easier for users to interpret," and did not impact the manner in which data is collected. OPTN collects and manages data pertaining to the patient waiting list, organ donation, matching and transplantation in the U.S. HRSA also announced a "modernization initiative" for OPTN around the same time, which included plans to strengthen "equity, and performance in the organ donation and transplantation system." In its lawsuit, AFL chronicled a series of delays, non-responses and incomplete communications following its April 2023 FOIA request. AFL is hoping to obtain a judge's order requiring the release of the records it is seeking, as well as an index of any withheld material and explanations for why it could not be provided. "The last administration's pervasive directives requiring consideration of immutable characteristics like race, color, and ethnicity — to make healthcare more 'equitable' — should concern all Americans," Scolinos said Tuesday. "AFL is determined to uncover the complete scope of Biden-era DEI policies and will continue to take decisive action to restore colorblind healthcare." HHS declined to comment on AFL's lawsuit.
Washington Post
14-05-2025
- Business
- Washington Post
OptiNose: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
YARDLEY, Pa. — YARDLEY, Pa. — OptiNose Inc. (OPTN) on Wednesday reported a loss of $22.4 million in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Yardley, Pennsylvania-based company said it had a loss of $1.92. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.01 per share. The specialty pharmaceutical company posted revenue of $18.5 million in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on OPTN at
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OptiNose: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
YARDLEY, Pa. (AP) — YARDLEY, Pa. (AP) — OptiNose Inc. (OPTN) on Wednesday reported a loss of $22.4 million in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Yardley, Pennsylvania-based company said it had a loss of $1.92. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.01 per share. The specialty pharmaceutical company posted revenue of $18.5 million in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on OPTN at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
14-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
OptiNose: Q1 Earnings Snapshot
YARDLEY, Pa. (AP) — YARDLEY, Pa. (AP) — OptiNose Inc. (OPTN) on Wednesday reported a loss of $22.4 million in its first quarter. On a per-share basis, the Yardley, Pennsylvania-based company said it had a loss of $1.92. Losses, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.01 per share. The specialty pharmaceutical company posted revenue of $18.5 million in the period. _____ This story was generated by Automated Insights ( using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on OPTN at Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
