Health Imaging & IT - April 2008 - (Page 15)

radPort, distributed by dictaphone, helps clinicians determine the most appropriate imaging study given the patient’s condition. almost 20 percent of the U.S. gross national product, and imaging has been growing in double-digit numbers for several years. “It’s unrealistic, however, to think that imaging will become flat or reverse because imaging is growing more powerful and useful in medicine. It has to be brought down from a raging bonfire to a little flame.” The focus on controlling radiation dose probably will face “consistent and growing interest,” says Charpie. “I think there’s going to be a continuing pace to it.” That pace is dependent on the time and resources organizations can put against the problem, he says. Beyond the organizational level, physician organizations, physicists, equipment manufacturers, professional groups and even the federal government will play a role, says Suhani. He likens the situation to that of global warming. “There is no single strategy that is going to work and they will happen at multiple levels.” In the next few years, he “envisions that each and every site in the world will have a better approach.” Another player in this field is RCG HealthCare Consulting, which offers RadOPS-CT, a service that helps practices reduce radiation dosage for patients undergoing CT exams. The service assesses current CT exam practices and protocols, develops a radiation exposure profile, delivers new, optimized CT protocols proven to markedly reduce patient dose, provides training and support for technologists and radiologists, and monitors periodic dosage results to identify further opportunities for refining the overall process. On average, the radiation exposure service reduces exposure by up to 60 percent, according to Dushyant Suhani, MD, director of CT radiology at Massachusetts General Hospital, where the technology was developed. By reviewing protocols that can reduce exposure without sacrificing quality, facilities can focus on improving quality and increasing patient safety. “It’s valuable to measure radiation exposure and it’s good operations to measure exposure,” David Charpie, RCG executive director. Although the issue is quite complex, the confluence of technology, protocol, workflow and other strategies plays a significant role in reducing unnecessary radiation exposure. The service lets RCG help practices that don’t have the same resources. “We see this as a journey, not a product we drop on them.” That includes creating and setting up protocols for most clinical indications so that technologists don’t have to do a lot of technical changes in parameters for each patient. On the horizon Controlling radiation dose is “very vexing,” says Rosenthal. Beyond patient safety, there are financial considerations. Studies have shown, he says, that up to 30 percent of imaging studies are unnecessary. Healthcare expenditures are steadily creeping up to Healthimaging.com Innovation Confidence Life f Powerful Tools at Your Fingertips At EDDA, we build advanced clinical applications to bring a new generation of interactive decision aid solutions for your needs in early detection, diagnosis and treatment. • • • • • Intuitive & efficient Lesion specific enhancement & analysis Advanced 3D/4D visualization Volumetric segmentation, editing & quantification Enterprise-wide solution for seamless workflow in PACS IQQA®-Chest CAD for DR/CR IQQA®-Liver for multi-phase contrast CT www.edda-tech.com • 609-919-9889 april 2008 | Health Imaging & IT 15 http://www.edda-tech.com http://www.edda-tech.com http://Healthimaging.com

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

Health Imaging & IT - April 2008 Contents On the Web The Enterprise News Update Cracking Down: CT Radiation Dose 3D Rendering: Options Galore Thinking Thin-Client Modality Review Ergonomics & Design Special Section: Storage Strategies Imaging Tools Technology Outlook People & Technology Technology Review IT Trends Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - April 2008

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