Health Imaging & IT - March 2008 - (Page 7)

The enTerprise Editorial Mary C. Tierney, Editorial Director mtierney@trimedmedia.com Beth Walsh, Senior Editor bwalsh@trimedmedia.com Lisa Fratt, Features Writer lfratt@trimedmedia.com Jonathan Batchelor, Web Editor jbatchelor@trimedmedia.com Justine Cadet, News Editor jcadet@trimedmedia.com Sarah Lamberti, Assistant News Editor slamberti@trimedmedia.com intEractivE MEdia Amy Lizotte, Interactive Media Manager alizotte@trimedmedia.com Jeffrey Hill, Interactive Media Developer jhill@trimedmedia.com art & dEsign Michele Rivera, Art Director mrivera@trimedmedia.com Jason Litchfield, Production Editor jlitchfield@trimedmedia.com salEs & MarkEting Jack Spears, Publisher jspears@trimedmedia.com Scott Andersen, Advertising Director sandersen@trimedmedia.com Matthew Payne, Account Manager mpayne@trimedmedia.com Michael Rahme, Account Manager mrahme@trimedmedia.com Nina Botelho, Marketing Director nbotelho@trimedmedia.com subscriptions & cliEnt sErvicEs Katy Tibbits, Circulation Manager ktibbits@trimedmedia.com adMinistration Kristen Bouthillier, Business Manager kbouthillier@trimedmedia.com publication sErvicEs Editorial Submissions & Information editor@healthimaging.com Advertising, Media Kits & Reprints sales@healthimaging.com Subscriptions & Back Issues subs@healthimaging.com Creative Services & Information art@healthimaging.com corporatE officE 235 Promenade Street, Suite 455 Providence, Rhode Island 02908 tel. 401.383.5660 fax 401.383.3896 CommuniCaTing beTTer Closing the loop on critical test results management (CTRM) is increasing the quality—and timeliness—of patient care. The numbers add up with approximately 12 billion radiology, laboratory and cardiology tests completed each year in the United States. About 1 to 5 percent of those tests come back abnormal or critical, thus kicking off a trail to notify the caregiver and patient of necessary follow-up. New solutions, as you’ll see in our cover story, are closing the loop by guaranteeing that the people who need critical patient information get it. It is a combination of information technology and the human touch that makes the difference. Operators communicating with radiologists and key physicians pass on information that could impact life or limb. The loop begins with a referring physician or intensivist ordering a STAT study. A radiology exam, for example, is completed and the report prepared. A trained medical specialist then creates the phone bridge to the caregiver to communicate results. When a specialist takes over, the typical two to three million calls physicians have had to make annually to communicate test results are no longer necessary. Physicians gain valuable time. And with about 85 percent of radiology-related medical malpractice lawsuits brought on by miscommunication of findings, CTRM can be money well spent. March brings a strong focus on cardiology as well. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) meets this month in Chicago. The push for healthcare reform amid calls for cost effectiveness and quality reporting will unify this year’s meeting. Our special section takes a closer look at the sea change taking place in the cath lab as the procedure mix adapts to a new equilibrium with greater emphasis on electrophysiology procedures and peripheral vascular and carotid interventions. Cardiac CT has clearly proven its clinical merits and brought a boon to cardiac imaging. But of course we’re all keeping a watchful eye on pending CMS reimbursement that proposes adoption of a national coverage determination that could substantially limit CT use. (Stay tuned to HealthImaging.com and Health Imaging News for details.) We round out our ACC coverage with a focus on cardiology PACS solutions that link more cardiac imaging modalities and a preview of products being debuted and featured at the show. I hope to see you in Chicago. Mary C. Tierney, Editorial Director mtierney@trimedmedia.com Healthimaging.com March 2008 | Health Imaging & IT http://HealthImaging.com 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

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