Medical Imaging Blog

PACS

Aunt Minne Conference Preview: Q&A With Dr. Jay Patti, Mecklenberg Radiology Associates

Dr. Jay Patti, Mecklenberg Radiology Associates will be one of the presenters at the upcoming Aunt Minnie Online Conference. To preview this exciting event, we reached out to him with some brief questions on effectively implementing PACS.

1. Regarding PACS, what challenges are unique to a high-volume private practice?

Generally speaking radiologists in a private practice are expected to handle a larger patient volume than those in other settings. Academic institutions tyically have residents and medical students where teaching and research are high priorities. This being said the lessons learned from a private practice are readily applicable to other settings.

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Join PACS professionals at Aunt Minnie’s Online Conference

A chance to participate in a conference of other PACS professionals is just around the corner – and you don’t even have to leave your desk to join in. The best part: it’s free – all you have to do is register and sign in on November 17.

“PACS in the Age of Change” is the theme. Time to network and chat with vendors will occur after these exciting presentations:

Meaningful Use in Radiology Applies to You — Dr. Keith Dreyer, Massachusetts General Hospital
Informatics Tools to Improve Radiology Reporting — Dr. Katherine Andriole, Harvard Medical School

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Electronic Health Records: Could Meaningful Use Debates Cloud Other Issues?

The fact that meaningful use of Electronic Health Records (EHR) has been getting a great deal of attention should come as no surprise. What might come as a surprise, however, is the fact that some stakeholders now worry that with focus so intently on the meaningful use of EHRs, other pressing issues are being overlooked.

According to new article on HealthDataManagement.com, meaningful use is having a huge impact on provider willingness or ability to take the steps needed to prepare for and comply with the new ICD-10 code sets.

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Radiology Resources for The Latest News & Advancements

In an industry where technology changes and advances at an impressive and varying pace, staying current with the latest news, research advances and technological innovations is important. Doing so, just got a whole lot easier with these two radiology resources. For even more publications or journals, be sure to drop by our full list of PACS, RIS and healthcare resources.

Journal of Radiology: JRAD is dedicated to free access to medical and scientific information from every side and angle of radiology. Covering everything from cardiac imaging to ultrasound, there are published articles spanning the breadth of radiology.

BMC Medical Imaging: This is an open-access journal that strives to publish original peer-reviewed research articles. They cover the development, evaluation and use of imaging techniques and various image processing tools that are used to help diagnose and manage diseases. Their quality is maintained through extremely high standards of review.

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What Should You Look for in a Next-Generation Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS)?

As the next-generation of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) are finding their way into the market place, many healthcare organizations are realizing the second time around can be much more complex when it comes to implementation.

The question is, what can organizations expect to see as far as changes between the two systems? A lot, according to an article from Health Imaging. But with calculated planning, the benefits of a second-generation PACS are predictable.

The article suggests healthcare organizations ensure a second-generation PACS:

Provides HIPAA-compliant asset tracking
Allows for teaching file and peer review documentation

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Healthcare Information Technology & Data Exchange: Can it Improve Efficiency & Patient Care?

Eric Saff, chief information officer and senior vice president of John Muir Health in Walnut Creek, California, has a lot to say about the health information exchange within his home state. Recently, at the 2010 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference in Atlanta, Saff sounded off in a video interview with ModernHealthcare.

As part of the stimulus package, Saff says a significant amount of money would be invested in health information technology to upgrade and increase the quality of the data exchange systems that either are in place, or will be soon. By updating data exchange systems and taking advantage of current technology, Saff says patient care will be greatly impacted as efficiency increases.

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HIMSS Attendees Urged to Focus on Patient Care with Health Information Technology

The dominating subject at the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society conference, held in March in Atlanta, was clearly the “meaningful use” of health information technology. Considering the fact that billions of dollars in federal stimulus subsidies are attached to the term, it should come as no surprise that meaningful use was such a hot topic.

Original estimates said the federal government could pay between $14 billion and $27 billion to help subsidize healthcare provider investments in health information technology.. But according to a ModernHealthcare article covering HIMSS, the best thinking at the conference was the total amount would be between $22 and $23 billion.

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Medical Imaging Technology Necessitates Patient Health Information Bill of Rights

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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Medical Imaging System Helps Camden-Clark Memorial Improve Patient Care

In 2002, West Virginia-based Camden-Clark Memorial Hospital realized that it needed to streamline the workflow and efficiency of its radiology department by implementing a Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS).

Before choosing a medical imaging system, the 340-bed hospital used a film-based system, which required hours of time to read before actual reporting. Camden-Clark recognized that crucial time – and money – were being wasted.

Following an evaluation of practices, Camden-Clark chose McKesson’s Horizon Medical Imaging™ as its imaging solution. Once implemented, the hospital immediately suspended all use of film – except in rare cases – and exclusively adopted the new system.

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National Digital Teaching Library Possible with Radiology PACS

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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