What would the radiologists do?
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| Mary Stevens, editor, CMIO magazine |
Radiology has relegated itself to the backseat as the U.S. drives toward improving healthcare, according to an article in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The profession has not adequately trained its imaging specialists in the subspecialty of health services, the authors argue, and as a result, radiologists are stuck on the outside of clinical and policy discussions as other specialties and clinicians have developed reforms.
This doesn’t mean image management isn’t finding ways to improve care and cut costs, as an initiative at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston shows. The facility cut subsequent diagnostic imaging by 17 percent and subsequent CT imaging by 16 percent after implementing CD import to PACS among emergency department transfer patients. In the study, published in the May edition of Radiology, the authors characterized the CD import system as a partial success, but not a complete one, citing the need for more reliable, health IT-based image transfer mechanisms.
Likewise, radiology reporting remains a non-standardized process with variations among providers and facilities. Radiologists should therefore consider itemized reporting and standardized language to produce clear and unequivocal reports, according to survey results published in the April edition of Radiology. As part of that standardization, image interpretation should be left to radiologists, the survey found.
Continuing along these lines, to interpret the large datasets generated by advanced imaging systems, radiologists should consider new technologies that might not have been developed with healthcare in mind, says an overview published in the May issue of Radiology. More accurate interpretation can reduce the need for repeat imaging, saving patients and clinicians both time and money.
Storing and accessing images efficiently are also integral to quality improvement through image management. Providers say they’re looking for vendors that offer not only advanced functionality, but also integration between their RIS and PACS, according to a recent report from market research firm KLAS, “Ambulatory RIS/PACS: Integrating Provider Needs.” Providers were wary of vendors that offer RIS and PACS on separate databases, the report stated.
Does your radiology department have a voice in quality improvement? What systems is your organization deploying to help those efforts? Click here to take our CMIO Health IT Top Trends Survey. You could win an Apple iPad 2 for your efforts. We’ll report the survey results online and in the July issue of CMIO.
Mary Stevens, Editor
mstevens@trimedmedia.com