Health Imaging & IT - March 2008 - (Page 18)

i n s i d e c a R d i ac i M ag i n g ogy for a total of eight digital cath labs today. Green uses a selection of Inova large-format, flat-panel x-ray systems for angiographic imaging, Inova 3131 IQ Biplane imaging system and the oeC 9900 elite, all from Ge Healthcare. Successful cath labs need more than digital imaging systems, he says. “The more you integrate your systems, the easier it is for workflow, and if workflow is enhanced, physicians are more likely to bring their patients.” NSuH performs about 14,000 cath lab procedures a year in the busy geographic area of Long Island, where 3 million residents have nine facilities to choose from. Competition is fierce. Information systems let users pull demographic, insurance and other key patient and operational information into the labs and “It’s harder to integrate 15 hospitals efficiently and cost-effectively. So, going to electronic medical records is our biggest goal right now.” Green anticipates that the six system hospitals that do cath lab procedures will be integrated and physicians will be able to view reports and images from any network hospital. “Integration just keeps getting better and better, which is great for patient safety. When someone comes into the hospital, you don’t have to guess about their history. You can look up a report which helps healthcare quality and improves efficiency. There’s a lot to be gained from that.” Green says that, in his experience, most hospitals do not have digitized, streamlined information and report-generating systems. stRetcHing eQuipMent With cath lab procedures on the decline, “decision-makers might incorrectly decide ‘we don’t need a cath lab or we might delay upgrades,’” says ronald P. Karlsberg, MD, clinical professor of Medicine at the David Geffen School of Medicine, university of California-Los Angeles and a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Medical Group of Southern California. “That’s the wrong question. The question is, ‘how do we purchase equipment that is multifunctional and still maintain the highest standards?’” The challenge is considering the resource requirements of the entire institution and blending them into a single unit. With special procedure rooms and other expanded capabilities, it’s a glass half-full, half-empty situation. “There’s potentially an expanded market,” he adds, providing one takes the higher view of the entire institution. Karlsberg, who is also director of the of the Cardiac Diagnostic and Interventional Center at Brotman Medical Center in Los Angeles, has invested time and effort in enhancing equipment utilization. Cath lab procedure volume is on the decline in most areas of the country and while coronary angiography, angioplasty, and stenting are the mainstays of the cath lab, there is opportunity to expand. Vascular surgeons, interventional radiologists and other subspecialists have become more interested in looking at peripheral vascular disease, carotid disease, and other diseases, Green says. To that end, NSuH installed an initial large-format digital flatpanel, as well several small and medium-sized solutions. This equipment range provides greater flexibility since the smallest systems work well with cardiology procedures, larger systems accommodate peripheral work; and the intermediate sizes serve a multipurpose function, such as for neurological and carotid procedures, as well as leg, coronary, and renal work. Karlsberg’s solution is an open lab that allows cardiologists, vascular surgeons, neuroradiologists, interventional radiologists, gastroenterologists and peripheral vascular surgeons to all HealthImaging.com With cath lab procedures on the decline, “decision-makers might incorrectly decide ‘we don’t need a cath lab or we might delay upgrades.’ That’s the wrong question. The question is, ‘how do we purchase equipment that is multifunctional and still maintain the highest standards? ” Ronald P. Karlsberg, MD, clinical professor of Medicine, at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California-Los Angeles, and a cardiologist with Cardiovascular Medical Group of Southern California move it to report-generating systems. The eMr demographic data from the hospital system is interfaced with Mac-Lab, also from Ge, for the initial demographic data. Further data entry occurs in MacLab throughout the case. The data are downloaded during and after the procedure to Ge Centricity, which then has the demographic data from Invision, as well as cath lab data from Mac-Lab. The physician simply completes the final components of the study from pull-down menus. There is ample ability to text additional data in all segments of the report, but generally that is not required. “We can shift data from system to system effortlessly and in the background. It’s a very efficient way of doing things,” Green says. With 15 hospitals in the NSuH system, each has a different grouping of information systems. The PACS currently are not integrated. “That is something we will be attempting with most of the system hospitals,” he says. All have Mac-Lab and all but one will eventually get Centricity. one community hospital, with their independent hospital IT group, elected to go with McKesson for all of their IS needs. The rest of the hospitals go through a VPN account to view their images. 18 Health Imaging & IT | March 2008 http://HealthImaging.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Health Imaging & IT - March 2008

Health Imaging & IT - March 2008 Table of Contents On the Web The Enterprise: Communicating Better News Update Critical Test Results Management: The Human Touch The Changing Face of the Cath Lab Cardiovascular CT: A Clinical Boon Cardiology PACS: Solutions to Fit Your Needs ACC 08: Building Quality & Value Together Picking the Perfect PACS Displays PET/CT: A Game-Changer in Cancer Patient Management DR: You Gotta Have IT – Delivering Speed, Efficiency, Savings Laser Imagers: Answering the Call for Hard Copy Reader's Resources Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - March 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.