Perhaps you've heard stories in the media about mix-ups at fertility clinics where the identities of the parents of embryos become uncertain due to mislabeling of sperm, eggs, or resulting embryos. Statistically, these mishaps are rare, but you can imagine what a nightmare it is for the patients as well as the medical practitioners when mistakes do happen.

A new software technology is helping to reduce the risk of laboratory errors in infertility treatment, by electronically identifying the sperm, eggs, resulting embryos and other materials used in in vitro fertilization (IVF) treatment cycles. Non-invasive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) can track a patient's sperm, eggs and embryos during the course of treatment. If the wrong material is introduced in the lab environment, RFID alerts the staff, via visual and audible signals, to help prevent mislabeling of any materials.

RFID tags contain a microchip that acts as a unique digital fingerprint, safely identifies samples at the outset and tracks them through the fertilization process. Each patient is given an RFID identity card, with a unique identification, that are used with all sample materials for that patient, including Petri dishes and test tubes used in a patient's treatment cycle. The entire system is electronically managed. By creating an automated system to minimize the chance for mix up, RFID safeguards the infertility treatment process and gives patients peace of mind.

Some fertility practices in the US and UK have already installed RFID. Since launching this new technology last year, over 20,000 infertility treatment cycles have employed RFID to ensure the safety and security of patients' genetic material.

The American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) recently pledged to work with patient groups, policy makers and other stakeholders to develop systems to reduce the risk of errors.

Women who choose their own surgeon and hospital get better breast cancer care than those who rely on doctor or health plan referrals. That's because women who said they chose their own surgeon were twice as likely to see a highly experienced surgeon as were those referred by another doctor or by their health plan. The provider-based referral pathway was not associated with surgeon volume.

Steven Katz, MD, director of health services research at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center reported the findings in the Jan. 20 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

A radiation therapy known as I.M.R.T for prostate cancer may be emerging as yet another example of the way financial incentives can influence medical decisions. Among several widely used treatments for prostate cancer, I.M.R.T. stands out for the money it makes the doctors who recommend it - $47,000 or more a patient.

That is many times the fees that urologists make on other accepted treatments for the disease, which include surgery and radioactive seed implants. And it may help explain why urologists have started buying multimillion-dollar I.M.R.T. equipment and software, and why many more are investigating it as a way to increase their incomes.

Helping drive the trend is a Texas company, Urorad Healthcare, which sells complete packages of I.M.R.T. technology and services, and hopes to persuade even more urologists to buy them. “Join the Urorad team and let us show your group how Urorad clients double their practice’s revenue,” the company says in a marketing pitch to doctors on its Web site.

Urologists who have purchased the new multiple beam systems say they are embracing a superior way to treat prostate cancer. But because there is little research directly comparing I.M.R.T. with the other treatments, there is little consensus among urologists about which approach is best.

If the patient has insurance, the added expense may not be a concern for him. And like the other treatments, the new therapy can be highly effective. But doctors say that prostate cancer treatments should be tailored to the individual.

See full New York Times Story - "Profit and Questions on Prostate Cancer Therapy"