Cardiovascular Business - March/April 2008 - (Page 17) Sponsored by an educational grant from Agfa HealthCare & EMC Corporation “The required level of consistency is almost impossible without a robust structured reporting solution.” Linda smitley, rN, cardiology PACs project manager, University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio ages, there are fewer repeat studies,” explains Katz. The ability to reduce repeat studies is a winner on all sides. It can save time and money and as a result improve staff and patient satisfaction. The practice has taken steps to optimize its system including developing an interface between Agfa HealthCare Cardiovascular and its Touchworks EMR, which allows physicians to access cardiac images and reports from the EMR. George Washington Hospital uses a similar configuration with results sent to a results database as soon as the physician completes the report. “Our physicians have immediate access to images and reports from the hospital, clinic, office and home,” says Katz, “There is no need for physicians to interrupt workflow to come to the echo suite looking for a report.” A final, but not insignificant, benefit of the paperless environment is reclaimed real estate. The George Washington University Medical Center converted its former file room into a new noninvasive laboratory, transforming a useless paper warehouse into an income-producing space. success the second time around For Providence Portland Medical Center and St. Vincent Medical Center in Portland, Ore., their second cardiology information system proved to be a charm. In 2005, the two hospitals replaced an aging PACS with IMPAX CV. “We needed a consolidated, centralized solution that required less IT maintenance and delivered improved uptime,” sums Dan Scharbach, regional director, Invasive Heart and Vascular Services. IMPAX CV also meets the centers’ future plans as its parent provider Providence Health & Services aims to expand applications across different cardiac imaging systems and beyond Portland. Currently, IMPAX CV serves as a repository for echocardiography, cardiac catheterization and vascular images and is interfaced with imaging systems of various ages from three vendors. “Cardiologists are extremely pleased. Their access to information is simplified,” reports Scharbach. Links on the physician website connect users to IMPAX CV and patient data. The updated configuration meets IT needs as well. The cardiology information system is easy to manage, yet robust; it encompasses a central offsite server that holds all images and onsite servers at the two medical centers. Providence Portland Medical Center also is part of the Providence Health & Services Network which has deployed EMC technology to manage its centralized IT services covering their 26 hospitals, 35 non-acute facilities and physician clinics across five states. Providence Health & Services has implemented a tiered networked storage strategy that includes EMC Symmetrix, CLARiiON and Centera for long-term archiving. Before and after snapshots of physician workflow demonstrate significant improvement. Prior to IMPAX CV, cardiologists had to remain at a designated workstation to review images. With universal availability of web-based images, cardiologists can review studies and dictate cases using any PC. Plus, because images are available for viewing on any PC with an internet connection, cardiologists can consult with colleagues during a procedure to answer questions. For example, physicians can confer real-time to determine if a patient needs to progress from a diagnostic test to an interventional procedure. The widespread availability of images benefits patient communication as well. Physicians can wheel cart-based PCs into patient rooms to share images with patients and better explain the diagnosis and treatment, says Scharbach. gateway to cardiac image management and reporting success IMPAX CV provides a solid foundation for cardiac image management and reporting success. It offers a robust image archive with streamlined access to current and prior cardiac images. It also addresses the full scope of cardiac reporting needs. It provides a structured clinical record to streamline and inject consistency into the reporting process. What’s more, IMPAX CV incorporates a full range of report access and delivery options to meet the full range of physician needs. Reports can be faxed via Outbound Reporting with fax service or viewed via the web or integrated EMRs. The results are impressive. Physicians can work more efficiently, which can enhance patient care and at the same time, improve the bottom line. The upshot? A fullfledged cardiology patient data management system like Agfa HealthCare’s IMPAX CV is ideal for the 21st century cardiology department. CardiovascularBusiness.com Cardiovascular Business 17 http://CardiovascularBusiness.com
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