Cardiovascular Business - November/December 2008 - (Page 24)

TECHNOLOGY & PRACTICE › BY JON BATCHELOR new practice dimension Technology adoption increases referrals, bolsters bottom line t’s been said that a picture is worth a thousand words; when it comes to the deployment of advanced visualization technology in cardiology, an image may be worth even more in referrals, according to practices that have adopted it. “The whole world has been changed by the advent of ultrafast, multidetector cardiac CT,” says Robert S. Schwartz, MD, a cardiologist with the Minneapolis Heart Institute in Minneapolis. “It gives us extremely rapid three-dimensional images, which allows us to capture the entire beating heart.” The downside to this achievement is that massive amounts of data are generated to deliver the 3D data sets from today’s multidetector CT systems, Schwartz notes. “One needs to be able to handle those massive amounts of data in a very efﬁcient and facile way to make a diagnosis.” The implementation of advanced visualization at the Minneapolis Heart Institute was driven by an uptick in coronary CT angiography (CCTA) studies. “Our coronary CT angiography service line really started to take off once we got highspeed multidetector CT systems,” Schwartz says. “We simply could not handle the huge amount of interpretative data being put out by these systems in an efﬁcient manner. The workload would have been simply staggering if not for advanced visualization technology.” Prior to the deployment of advanced visualization tools in the practice, the interpretation time for a CCTA procedure was anywhere between 20 and 30 minutes per exam. Now it is between three and four minutes for straightforward exams, and a little longer for exams that are more complex. An additional beneﬁt of the technology has been the ability of the cardiologists to consult more efﬁciently and effectively with their referring clinician base. “Because of the efﬁciency of the software, we’re able to be doing something else, put it aside, and pull up a 3D image and Advanced visualization adds I review it with a clinical colleague in a very short space of time; we’re quickly able to demonstrate the exact results of an exam,” Schwartz says. Referrals to the practice also have increased since the addition of advanced visualization tools. The practice can send the reconstructions over the network or burn a CD for the referrer. Patients also request CDs of their images and Schwartz is happy to oblige, noting that it generally has a positive impact on patients’ commitment to healthy behavior. 3D and collaboration Michael Ridner, MD, a cardiologist at the Heart Center in Huntsville, Ala., and an associate professor of medicine at the University of Alabama School of Medicine, also has found the addition of advanced visualization technology to be a boon to his practice’s capabilities. “What it has allowed us to provide is network-wide visualization of cardiac CT angiograms, at any site, in any location,” he says. “This permits the cardiologists in our practice to work on these exams anywhere, including at home. In addition, we’re able to share our 3D reconstructions in our consultations with our referring physicians, as well as with the patients.” He also has noted a change in behavior as a result of sharing 3D images with patients. “The technology allows us to provide patients with a very compelling image of their diagnosis,” Ridner says. “By showing them an image of their arteries, we are able to convincingly demonstrate why they should follow the therapeutic regimen that we’ve laid out for them.” The technology has paid unexpected dividends in the Heart Center’s afﬁliation with local hospitals. He noted that the cornerstone of the advanced visualization software is for diagnostic purposes in the practice, but it has expanded its capabilities well beyond that primary utilization. “In the ER, we’re able to perform a reconstruction in the department and make a decision as to whether a patient should be admitted or released, which vastly expedites the workﬂow in that department for patients presenting with chest pain,” Ridner says. 24 Cardiovascular Business November/December 2008

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cardiovascular Business - November/December 2008

Cardiovascular Business - November/December 2008 Contents First Word Cover Story: Practice Management Software Moves Beyond Bean Counting The Death of CME as We Know It? Clinical Study Digets: Triple-Antiplatelet Therapy; Ex-Vioxx Users Beware Shockwaves Subside from the FDA's Echo Contract Warning Burning Question: Does Laser Heart Therapy for Angina Really Work? Advanced Visualization Adds New Practive Dimension Coronary Calcium Scoring Program Reaps Dividends Interventionalists Get Pumped Up About Mechanical Chest Compression Trials Force Physicians to Re-Examine Oral Anti-Diabetic Drug Protocols News & Views Calendar Reader Resources The ACC Corner

Cardiovascular Business - November/December 2008

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