HIEs, hospitals see edge in imaging

Mary Stevens, editor, CMIO magazine

Readily available images, whether included in an EHR or residing in repository, can improve care by reducing unnecessary tests, and lowering patients’ radiation exposure. There’s also a business case for image exchange, especially among HIEs trying to differentiate their services from competitors. In New York, Rochester RHIO was among the first HIEs in the U.S. to offer image exchange, but now its neighbor, the HealtheConnections RHIO, has joined the image exchange club.

Healthcare organizations are getting the picture as well. To the south, Hunterdon Healthcare System, in Flemington, N.J., is working on a three-stage plan for image interoperability that includes a vendor-neutral archive and a central repository for images, according to a HIMSS webinar earlier this week.

At a gathering of medical device engineers at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, body area networks (BANs) were the topic of discussion among wireless experts earlier this week. In the medical field, BANs can be utilized for physiological health monitoring, including primary vital signs, heart rate, respiration and internal and external body temperatures.

The applications of wireless medical devices are encouraging, but there are complicating factors, including designated use of wireless bandwidth and regulatory scrutiny. The FDA has listed wireless healthcare as a mission-critical area in its strategic plan, and FDA and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) may yet cooperate in this area. The downside? The FDA believes wireless is inherently less reliable than wired communication, and there are concerns about how medical wireless technology will interact with household wireless technologies, as well as those in public spaces and in hospitals.

More wireless devices are in use in hospitals and beyond: QuantiaMd reported that physicians across the practice setting spectrum are adopting mobile technology at a rapid rate. The group revealed that 83 percent of physicians in a recent survey reported owning a mobile device capable of downloading applications—and 44 percent of those who do not have a mobile device intend to purchase one in 2011. The most commonly mobile devices are iPhones, in the hands of 59 percent of respondents, and iPads used by 29 percent.

The survey also found that 30 percent of physicians use a tablet device, compared to just 5 percent of U.S. consumers. In addition, 25 percent of responding physicians are going even more mobile, using both smartphones and tablets. As for who pays, 82 percent said they bought their own mobile devices. Fifty-three percent of the respondents noted that their institution provided them with the iPhone while 59 percent bought it for their private practice.

Is your organization sharing image via HIE or an archive? What mobile devices do your physicians prefer? Will BANs and bandwidth be issues? Let me know at mstevens@trimedmedia.com.

Mary Stevens, Editor