Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009 - (Page 17)

> > special report Radiology to Close the Imaging Loop Closed loop imaging looks at the entire loop to improve efficiency, optimize quality, safety and improve patient care. by Cristen C. Bolan W > > PACS Workflow radiology closes the loop on imaging Where does the imaging loop start and end in radiology? Dr. Paul J. Chang takes us beyond the reading room to identify the bottlenecks in the radiology imaging cycle and apply solutions to close the loop in imaging. Plus, experts view Web-based PACS as the model for lower cost, more accessible workflow. hen does the imaging clock start ticking? Is it when an imager is taken in the scanning suite or when it reaches the PACS in the reading room? According to a new study on imaging workflow, the imaging loop begins when the physician orders an imaging exam and only ends when the results of the test are communicated to the doctor. Because optimizing radiology workflow requires seeing the big picture, a first-ofits-kind closed loop imaging research trial is taking a holistic approach toward restructuring the imaging process. Conceptualized and lead by Paul J. Chang, M.D., FSIIM, vice chairman of radiology informatics and medical director of pathology informatics at University of Chicago Medical Center (UCMC) and working in collaboration with Philips Healthcare, the study’s objective is to reduce errors and improve quality of care and patient outcomes. UCMC and Philips are working together to integrate the technologies to automate tasks, improve workflow efficiency and ultimately optimize care. During the initial research phase, UCMC replaced the current paper-based CT protocol system manual entry of a list of images requested, as well as contrast and dose requirements, with an automated electronic patient protocol system that uses a Philips tablet PC for wireless access to relevant patient and scanning protocol information. Protocol settings are automatically communicated to the CT scanner, simplifying CT scanning by sending all relevant clinical information and protocol definition without requiring manual entry. Event-driven alerts provide updates throughout the entire imaging process and notify radiology staff when images are ready for processing. Overall, the radiology department was able to eliminate non-essential work and paper trails. Total information throughput Imaging Technology News had the opportunity to speak with Dr. Chang about his perspective of radiology workflow and strategies for streamlining the bottlenecks. ITN: PACS companies have been trying to improve upon radiology workflow for several years. What are the factors driving your quest to improve processes in radiology? Dr. Chang: I noticed that PACS companies in general, along with speech recognition companies and the integration of speech recognition, basically have resulted in incredibly efficient and very optimized reading rooms. But, here’s the problem, it doesn’t matter how efficient we are in the reading room if the rest of what we do in radiology is inefficient. I can be incredibly accurate in radiology in the reading room, but if the study was not acquired accurately, it’s the old ‘garbage in, garbage out.’ The concept started with this closed loop imaging a number of years ago when I started talking about this concept of total information throughput as a measure of how we’re doing in the radiology department. When we as radiology administrators judge how we’re doing, we’ll talk about patient throughput in our department, report turnaround time. The problem is these are incomplete measures of how we’re doing in total, and that’s why I keep pushing this concept of the best way to measure how Imaging Loop continued on page 20 Jan/Feb 2009 > special report > 17 Radiology to Close the Imaging Loop Will Web-Based PACS Take Over? 17 18 http://new.reillycomm.com/imaging/special-report-b.php

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009

Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009 Contents IMRT Imaging RT Solutions for Troublesome Tumors PACS Radiology to Close the Imaging Loop Will Web-Based PACS Take Over? Is CT Dose Under Control? The Best in Digital Mammography Breast Biopsy Systems MX Series Monitors Provide University of Pennsylvania Quality Assurance Reduce Waste to Raise Revenue

Imaging Technology News - January/February 2009

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