Kalorama Information expects the nearly 25 billion-dollar market for electronic medical records (EMR) to grow well past the period where there are incentives for U.S. healthcare providers, according to a recent report. The healthcare market research publisher said penalties, system upgrades, international sales and continued efficiency improvements will grow the market 7-8 percent each year for the next five years. The market for EMR systems continues to increase as more physicians and hospitals use EMR and acquire EMR systems, and as hospitals and physician groups upgrade existing systems.

Chest pain sends more than 7 million Americans to the emergency department each year. About half of them are admitted to the hospital for further observation, testing or treatment. Now, emergency medicine physicians at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and Mount Carmel Health System believe that number can be significantly reduced.

Shimadzu Medical Systems USA announced the first U.S. West Coast installation of its Trinias C-12 high performance “crossover” system at Kalispell Regional Medical Center in Kalispell, Montana. Shimadzu dealer/partner Core Medical Imaging Inc. of Kenmore, Washington, completed the installation of the angiographic system, which went into operation at the medical center in late April.

Abbott announced that it has received CE Mark for the latest advancement of its Absorb stent system, called Absorb GT1. Absorb GT1 combines a fully dissolving stent with a next-generation delivery catheter to help doctors treat people with heart disease. Built upon three generations of delivery catheter innovations, Absorb GT1 refers to the GlideTrack catheter, Abbott’s advanced stent delivery system, which is designed to make it easier for doctors to access and treat diseased vessels in people with coronary artery disease (CAD). The GlideTrack catheter incorporates several design and technology changes that have the potential to improve deliverability and performance.

A new service called MyChoiceMD is preparing to launch in Colorado that aims to revolutionize the way patients find, pay for, schedule and track their routine medical care. The service has been incubating in Northern Colorado and has completed a 10-month pilot in Cheyenne under the name Galen. It is targeted at the large population of self-pay patients that includes both insured and uninsured patients.

New research reports significant differences between men and women with atrial fibrillation (AF) and the safety of intense physical activity. The study found that both moderate and vigorous levels of exercise are safe for women living with AF. However, vigorous levels of exercise are associated with an increased risk of AF in men. The research, analyzing data from a large-scale or robust patient population of nearly 380,000 patients, was presented at Heart Rhythm 2015, the Heart Rhythm Society’s 36th annual scientific sessions.