Medical Imaging Blog

Healthcare IT

Radiology Benchmarking: Improve Processes & Performance

Aug 27

Often times, the only way to see how efficiently things are running is by comparing yourself to others. By finding and identifying “best practices” in any medical field, radiology especially, it allows you a guidepost that can help you identify areas of your operations that are working well, and areas that need a lot of work. Benchmarking in radiology can be a difficult practice as radiology departments all over the country and rest of the world are using completely different standards that relate to their work output or workload. It remains an important, if not crucial, aspect of organizational strategy.

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Adopting New Healthcare IT Could Cut $3.6 Trillion in Waste

Aug 02

Studies are in that the U.S. Healthcare industry is falling victim to a number of ‘operational inefficiencies’ that are causing massive amounts of financial waste each year. A previous report concluded that the Healthcare system in this country wastes almost $700 billion a year. Thankfully, there is a plan to turn this around and doing so could save $3.6 trillion in waste over the next decade.

The 5 strategies created to help reach this astronomical goal all revolve around revolutionizing practices that might be currently out of date or inefficient. In a lot of the strategies, the need for updated healthcare IT and modern medical imaging devices like PACS and CVIS could step into modernize care and boost efficiency. Here, briefly, are the 5 strategies:

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Proposed Electronic Health Record (EHR) Testing & Compliance Rule Gets Positive Reaction From HIT Leaders

Apr 23

Health care IT leaders are standing behind the new rule proposed by the Department of Health and Human Services concerning the testing and certifying of Electronic Health Records (EHRs), according to an article on HealthLeaders Media. The rule, which was proposed and released in March, would turn over the certification process to a private sector, as well as provide a fast-track certification timeline and the ability to have EHRs certified from multiple vendors.

The rule would create a two-step EHR certification process:

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Medical Imaging Technology Necessitates Patient Health Information Bill of Rights

Apr 12

As the healthcare industry moves closer toward mass digitization, there is also growing concern among patients regarding the ease of data accessibility associated with medical imaging technology.

To meet these privacy and security concerns, the Chicago-based American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) is promoting a new Health Information Bill of Rights.

A recent Modern Healthcare report discusses the Health Information Bill of Rights and its seven-point platform that addresses the proliferation of Electronic Health Records (EHR) and encourages strict data protection from healthcare providers. In addition, AHIMA outlines five other points in its Health Information Bill of Rights:

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Smart Phone Apps Could Allow Portable Medical Imaging Analysis to Clinicians

Apr 06

A 2009 survey conducted by Manhattan Research reported that more than 60% of physicians are using smartphones, a number that is expected to jump another 20% by 2012. In addition, according to a report from American Medical News, physicians may soon be able to conduct medical imaging analysis and make diagnostic decisions straight from their smartphone. In fact, there is already application software in development that has proven accurate and efficient in clinical trials.

For example, a recent study by the Radiological Society of North America found a majority of radiologists were able to correctly diagnose appendicitis by accessing Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) using an iPhone app.

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National Digital Teaching Library Possible with Radiology PACS

Mar 31

Gone are the days of radiologists keeping a file cabinet full of interesting imaging cases to use when junior radiologists required examples of particular conditions.

With a growing number of hospitals installing radiology Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS), this former teaching method has all but disappeared.

But while the method may be gone, the teaching practice can still exist and thrive, according to a recent article by Nicola Strickland of Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust.

The article appeared in a recent issue of Medical Imaging Technology and was commissioned by McKesson. It suggests the creation of a national digital teaching library, which would contain images contributed by radiologists with varied experience from across the country.

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Report: Hospitals Not Meeting Electronic Medical Record Stimulus Requirements

Mar 11

A new report from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society’s (HIMSS) has found that hospitals will face significant challenges in order to comply with health IT requirements of the federal economic stimulus package.

HIMSS compared the requirements of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) stimulus against its 7-stage Electronic Medical Record (EMR) Adoption Model (see image below).

The majority of HITECH requirements fall under the most difficult Electronic Medical Record categories – categories that very few hospitals currently meet, a recent article from Government Health IT points out:

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Don’t Miss These Upcoming Healthcare IT & Radiology Conferences

Feb 23

Are you looking to expand your knowledge of the latest advances in healthcare IT? Could you benefit from a few days of networking with other radiologists and healthcare professionals?

Look no further than the healthcare IT and radiology conferences highlighted below.

March 4-8
European Congress of Radiology
Vienna, Austria
ECR 2010 represents the medical specialty of radiology throughout Europe and the Mediterranean. The ECR comprises an executive committee, a programme planning committee, a technical exhibition committee, an international relations committee and 15 scientific subcommittees

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Radiology Information System (RIS) Market to Reach $415.8 million by 2013

Feb 19

The future looks bright for diagnostic imaging.

According to a report from ReportLinker, worldwide diagnostic imaging and Radiology Information System (RIS) markets will reach $415.8 million by 2013. Moreover, as RIS systems are integrated with electronic patient records, market growth may be even stronger.

The ability to identify additional diseases at an earlier stage through diagnostic imaging will stimulate the demand for information management systems.

The report pinpoints key drivers of diagnostic imaging and radiology information system market growth, including:

Lower costs
Improved efficiency
Complete audit trails
Centralized patient information
Help to achieve HIPAA compliance

Continue Reading: Radiology Information System (RIS) Market to Reach $415.8 million by 2013

Could Secondary Use of Electronic Medical Records Be Your Healthcare Organization’s Greatest Asset?

Feb 17

The immediate, primary benefits of electronic medical records are well-recognized: improved efficiency for physicians and enhanced safety for patients.

But what are the secondary benefits?

According to a recent survey by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, secondary use of electronic medical records may become a healthcare organizations’ greatest asset over the next five years. Data mined from health information systems could help improve patient care, predict trends in public health and reduce healthcare costs.

The survey, “Transforming Healthcare Through Secondary Use of Health Data,” found 90% of healthcare executives say the secondary use of health information from electronic health records will significantly improve patient care.

Continue Reading: Could Secondary Use of Electronic Medical Records Be Your Healthcare Organization’s Greatest Asset?