Will the Governor Sign Senate Bill 1122? Controversial Bill Spurs Action from Consumer Groups, Healthcare Advocates When the 2009 legislative session ended May 1, one particular piece of healthcare legislation drew much attention. LYNNE JETER

The Self-Insured Option Outside-the-Box Thinking Leads to Significant Cost Savings for Local Insurance Group Outside-the-box thinking has led to significant cost savings for The Crowne Group, which has made the self-insured option an attractive choice for Florida employers. LYNNE JETER

Virtual Colonoscopy Trial Hails Preventive Procedure, But Medicare Not So Sure Ask radiology experts and virtually all of them will say that virtual colonoscopies are a less expensive, less invasive and effective alternative to conventional colonoscopies to screen for colorectal cancer. Yet there’s a flip side to that view – that CT colonography, as it is more formally known, is inefficient, since a regular colonoscopy must follow if the CTC finds anything suspicious. SHARON H. FITZGERALD

Michael O'Neill Barry, MD Choosing a career in medicine may have seemed an odd choice at first for Michael Barry, MD, a fellowship-trained Level III CT physician and medical director of Clearwater Cardiovascular and Interventional Consultants' cardiovascular CT lab. LYNNE JETER

BEST PRACTICE: Antos Environmental Resolving To Reduce For many Americans, spring is the unofficial Diet Season, when thousands of us resolve to lose our unhealthy, unsightly extra weight before summer arrives. Anyone who has every tried to drop those stubborn pounds, knows that the biggest challenge in slimming down isn't knowing what to do (eat less, move more) but rather how to make ourselves do it. To succeed, we have to commit to permanent lifestyle changes, not just a diet. As a waste management consultant to the healthcare industry for the past 20 years – and a guy who's had to lose a few "spare tires" – I can tell you that the same principle applies to trimming our nation's excess weight in trash. Getting a facility to reduce its institutional waste is a lot like getting a person to reduce their waist. Success requires a behavioral transformation that begins first with know-how, but ultimately results in action. New action guided by better choices. Anthony Schifano

BEST PRACTICE: Vascular Vein Centers Pregnancy and Leg Health Pregnancy in a woman’s life is not only one of the most wonderful experiences she will have but also one of the most challenging. It is unique and miraculous. The physiologic changes in a woman’s body are phenomenal and often under appreciated. Although there are other risk factors for the development of varicose veins, pregnancy is the most significant. It also represents a significant risk for deep and superficial venous thrombosis in otherwise very healthy young women in the prime of life.