Health Imaging & IT - June 2008 - (Page 10)

Pushing Productivity: How Imaging Can Build Efficiency & Cut Costs and having one spot that the radiologist or cardiologist could go to to view images,” says Medical Imaging Manager Brad Shook. The system queries and pulls images from the existing PACS and cardiology system to display images for doctors. “We’re able to continue using our current infrastructure and put this product on top to get images out to the web.” As a rural facility, Medical Center Hospital has a cardiologist in a remote town who reads pediatric echocardiograms. “We had never been able to get a solution that worked, other than mailing a videotape.” Eventually, Shook learned about the ScImage offering. “It worked so well for the cardiologists that we saw the potential for it working for all images, not just one discipline.” Aside from web distribution, the facility recently replaced its PACS, RIS and voice recognition from three different vendors with a single-vendor solution from DR Systems. Shook anticipates a 20 percent increase in radiologist productivity as a result of the switch. The doctors have been using voice recognition for five years already so he doesn’t expect a big learning curve. “That being said, we’re still expecting to increase productivity because it is one vendor. We don’t have integrations between different vendors.” Pinpointing productivity Alegent Health, a health system based in Omaha, Neb., with five metropolitan hospitals and two rural hospitals, implemented Workflow RIS, Sienet Magic, syngo Dyn- tips and tricks from the field Using information systems and the reports and tracking metrics they make available, facilities are targeting specific areas in which they can improve productivity. If you’re not focusing on productivity, “then you really don’t focus on the areas that can be improved upon,” says Craig Luedtke, RIS administrator for Alegent Health in Omaha, Neb. “If your numbers are down, you’re going to end up with people sitting around.” Flexible scheduling lets Luedtke extensively utilize the staff. “They are secure in knowing that they will be utilized elsewhere no matter what.” Healthcare facilities have no choice but to look at productivity, says Kirk Lawson, radiology department administrator for New York University. Some of the reasons to be thinking about this are referring physician satisfaction, patient satisfaction and justification for getting more resources. “When done the right way, you’re really working with your department,” he says. “You’re helping them understand the value to the institution of being efficient. When they understand how it really helps their company succeed and thrive, you end up with increased employee satisfaction.” Engaging employees involves them in the problem-solving process. A goal of increasing MRI volume by 5 percent, for example, can only be accomplished, he says, if it’s a mission for the entire team. At Metro Imaging in St. Louis, the staff schedules mammography patients for their next exam when they come in for their annual screening. As of late February, the practice already had 750 exams scheduled for 2009, says Christine Keefe, CFO. Metro Imaging is in the process of implementing online mammography scheduling. That will reduce calls. “Anything you can do to reduce phone calls and manage workflow helps,” she says. Another step Metro is taking to improve its service is providing patients with estimates of their out-of-pocket expenses before they come in. “Many don’t understand how deductibles work so they get their MRI bill and they’re shocked,” Keefe says. “We check on their deductible and coinsurance and they’re very appreciative. In the long run, hopefully that will improve our collections. An informed patient is better than someone who is surprised and gets angry.” Another convenience for Metro’s patients is being more clear about exam preparation, such as that required for abdomen CTs, for example. Patients need to come in an hour before the exam actually starts to drink the contrast. Metro reconfirms with patients and lets them know the time required so that they’re not upset when they arrive. Keefe says a practice analysis program offered by Merge lets her pull up wait times immediately and ensure that patients have little reason for complaints. 10 Health Imaging & IT | June 2008 HealthImaging.com http://HealthImaging.com

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

Health Imaging & IT - June 2008 Contents On The Web The Enterprise News Update Cover Story: Pushing Productivity: How Imaging is Building Efficiency and Cutting Costs Technology Outlook: Imaging Procedures Poised for Growth Great Expectations: PET/CT Delivers SPECT/CT Proving it's Potential MR/PET Holds Promise Good Image Management: Infiltrating Molecular Imaging SNM Preview Modality Review: Mammography’s Next Step: The Dawning of Breast Tomosynthesis Managing Technology: Radiation Oncology: Opening the Doors to IT Reader's Resource Stat Sheet

Health Imaging & IT - June 2008

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