Cardiovascular Business - January/February 2008 - (Page 24)

CaRDIaC IMaGes In THe eMR: JUsT a ClICK aWaY the patients,” he says. “We use RSA SecurID Token so the security is unquestionable.” Right now, physicians are accessing images and reports, but not yet generating reports offsite. Competitive necessity When it comes to implementing EMRs in cardiology, Cameron says jumping on board is essential. “If you don’t do [it], you will not be competitive in the future. Physicians are not going to have the luxury of going to three hospitals to read three different echos or angiograms.” He says, “If you are not planning on doing this, you are putting yourself at a marketing disadvantage.” Q&a: on the Record As CEo of the Medical records institute, C. peter Waegemann leads the organization’s mission to promote EMrs and to help physicians make the transition from “traditional medicine as an art” to computer-guided and computer-based healthcare. “EMrs are just tools in achieving major change in delivering care,” he says. Q: what are the benefits of eMRs in cardiac care? A: In cardiac care, there are seven benefits from EMR implementation: In the most successful cases, practices have increased the number of referrals substantially by establishing a policy that reports are sent to referring physicians within an hour of the patient’s visit. Substantial money can be saved by eliminating or decreasing transcription costs. Remote computing improves the quality of life of providers. Emailing and digital health companions can help by providing new business models and revenue. The quality of care improves as medical errors are reduced, patients can become partners in care and peer communication is improved. Through better reports and information, improved cardiac disease management becomes possible. A physician has better control over his or her practice as information is immediately available. Q: what kind of cardiac information is saved in an eMR? A: A physician has to be careful about the templates and workf low requirements he or she needs that may or may not be included in a general EMR. In the Continuity of Care Records (CCR), the physician has to distinguish between basic health status data and cardiac care data. There is little cardiac information in the health status data set except diagnoses and medications, while the care data include cardiac data. In general, the cardiologist has to assure that the selected EMR system can meet his or her requirements for cardiac information without having to be custom designed, which could reduce its interoperability potential. Q: How is cardiac imaging integrated into eMRs? A: An EMR is no good for a cardiologist if imaging is not integrated to the level of point of care. I have seen a heart clinic where physicians are even using PDAs in the exam room and seem to be satisfied with the quality of imaging available on the hand-held devices. Others prefer good quality screens. It comes down to personal preferences, weight versus screen size, and image quality. Q: what are the challenges of including cardiac imaging in eMRs? A: The biggest challenge is to find a good EMR system that allows all the functionalities a cardiologist needs. Many companies say that their EMRs are designed for cardiology but, in fact, they are not. The second challenge is to adjust the workf low in order to gain high efficiency. Q: what is the future of eMRs in cardiac imaging? A: The future will be an interactive relationship with patients in which the cardiologist will manage the cardiac devices that a patient will have as digital health companions. EMR vendors will learn how to integrate imaging more into their systems. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 24 Cardiovascular Business January/february 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cardiovascular Business - January/February 2008

Cardiovascular Business - January/February 2008 Contents The Ticker: Quality Pays in Several Ways Cover Story: The Proof: Why Evidence-based Medicine Improves Cardiac Care Clinical Study Digest: Co-payments and Cath Labs Cardiac PET/CT Fills in Gaps Left by SPECT Tapping into IT to Improve the Office-Based Practice SPECT–Proving Its Value Cardiac Images in the EMR: Just a Click Away The Top 20 Ways to Market Your Cardiac CTA Practice The Big Picture: Medical Displays for Cardiac Images Statins Work But Pharmacoeconomic Caveats Abound Driving Data Protection: Opting for Storage On- or Offsite News & Views Calendar Reader’s Resource

Cardiovascular Business - January/February 2008

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