Health Imaging & IT - October 2007 - (Page 23) Sponsored by an educational grant from Siemens Medical Solutions TO InCREASE PROCEDuRE vOLuME WhAt stAff Will you hire? EMR integration is the No. 1 IT focus for Epic Imaging, a busy, full modality imaging center practice in Portland, Ore. “Freestanding facilities need results integration with referring physicians’ EMRs,” explains CIO and Operations Director John Griffith. Instead of investing in its own EMR, the center is working to develop interfaces to integrate with outside EMRs and thus improve service to its referral base. Advanced visualization is another priority of survey respondents, with CT reconstruction, 3D rendering and cardiac viewing software high on the collective wish list. And thin is in; most sites are eyeing thin-client solutions. Epic Imaging provides referring physicians with full access to 3D functionality via a web-based PACS with integrated 3D. The center recently expanded its 3D functionality beyond standalone workstations and PACS integration, installing colonoscopy visualization software in anticipation of wider acceptance of virtual colonoscopy among referring physicians and patients. But advanced visualization can bring challenges of its own. Consider for example Partners Healthcare System in Boston. The mega-enterprise is a 3D pioneer and one of Health Imaging & IT’s Top 25 Connected Facilities in 2007. “We need to get the right information to the right people. It’s important to pre-define what data to send to various physician users from 3D groups, radiologists and referring physicians while [providing users] the capacity to dig deeper into the datasets,” says Darren Sack, corporate manager, enterprise medical imaging. Thin-client 3D, says Sack, can save sites tremendous capital outlay, and potentially deliver workflow and patient care benefits if the software can be modified to share the primary essential tools with most 3D users, who don’t require sophisticated post-processing and manipulation features. Data aren’t the only resource flowing out of imaging. Expect staff and modalities to be on the move, too, as nearly one-fourth of respondents plan to add remote, mobile or outreach clinical services in the coming year. Each priority translates into more volume, so sites need to effectively handle higher volumes. Staff will be critical. The demand for technologists will remain high as nearly 60 percent of sites plan to hire techs to support increased volumes. Physicians and IT and marketing staff also play key roles in many growth plans. Marketing staff will handle tasks such as educational programs to referring physicians and consumer advertising. A handful of sites plan to turn to other solutions like tech assistants and remote reading services. The lights will be on longer at many sites, too, as more than half of sites tell us they’ll extend weekday operating hours to accommodate more procedures. Fewer than 5 percent of respondents do not plan to add staff. Increased image volumes feed the next priority—improving workflow. Nearly 70 percent of respondents rated HealthImaging.com Technologist Physician 2 Technical / IT 3 1 hoW Will you extend operAting hours? Extending hours during the week 1 Extending hours during the weekend 2 Extending hours by using remote reading or out-sourced clinical services 3 WhAt neW service lines Will you Add? Cardiology 1 Women’s Health 2 Outpatient Imaging 3 hoW Will you increAse your physiciAn referrAl bAse? Adding or providing remote access to clinical images Partnerships with physician groups 2 Adding remote, mobile or outreach clinical services 3 1 Health Imaging & IT | O C T O B E R 2 0 07 23 http://HealthImaging.com
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