Health Imaging & IT - October 2007 - (Page 28) t o p t r e n d s i n h e A lt h i m A g i n g & i t 2 0 0 7 Sponsored by an educational grant from Siemens Medical Solutions ➩ TECHnOLOgIES TO BE REPLACED OR uPgRADED THIS YEAR heAlth it technologies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Workflow analysis tool Electronic medical record (EMR) Computerized physician order entry (CPOE) Electronic health record (EHR) PACS / Enterprise image management Decision support software Enterprise data storage Hospital information system (HIS) Smart card Enterprise data network 31% 30% 29% 20% 27% 26% 25% 23% 22% 22% * figures were rounded clinicAl it technologies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Information System-Cardiovascular (CVIS) 34% Voice / Speech recognition Information system - radiology PACS - cardiology Advanced visualization software Decision support software Computer assisted detection (CAD) Information system - surgery PACS - radiology Information system - emergency 30 percent of buyers shooting for 16-slice PET/CT scanners. In the MRI market, 1.5T remains a strong contender. Nearly half of those in the market are eyeing 1.5T systems; however, 37 percent are considering the 3T option. Concord Hospital falls into the 3T camp. “We plan to add 3T MRI with a dedicated breast coil and CAD. It will open the door to breast MRI and increase our MRI capacity,” says Mazurowski. But high tech is high cost. High acquisition costs are keeping some sites out of the modality market. For example, 25 percent of respondents without digital radiography claim they need, but cannot afford, the technology. For non-MRI sites, nearly 20 percent find themselves unable to purchase a scanner, and 15 percent of sites cannot afford digital mammography. 33% 32% 31% 28% 24% 24% 22% 22% 19% the health it budget IT is essential to the efficient imaging department. IT solutions that rank high in the 2008 purchase or replacement cycle include enterprise image management, voice recognition and enterprise data storage (to handle that extra image volume). Enterprise image management, which tops the list, is an unaffordable need for nearly 20 percent of sites that do not yet have PACS, according to this year’s survey. Workflow analysis tools, a.k.a. digital dashboards, also are an important consideration for many respondents. Digital dashboards can be a great asset, says Griffith. Epic Imaging plans to look for some dashboard functionality as well as tight PACS integration with its upgrade to a second-generation RIS next year. Other sites, such as Fox Chase Cancer Center, rely on homegrown dashboards to track critical quality measures like biopsy accuracy, interventional procedures and sedation. Homegrown is a valid solution for other priorities such as CPOE, which ranks in the top three health IT needs. Partners Healthcare System uses an internally developed system with a decision support layer to make sure the enterprise captures appropriate data for reimbursement and to control high-cost radiology exams. Similarly, the radiology department at Concord Hospital, a recent CPOE adopter, plans to focus on developing radiology exam appropriateness criteria and decision support in the entry fields of its vendor CPOE system in 2008. * figures were rounded imAging technologies 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Digital mammography Computed tomography (CT) Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) Diagnostic workstations Ultrasound Digital radiography (DR) Cardiac catherization lab Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) Reading room Computed radiography (CR) 34% 33% 32% 31% 27% 27% 26% 24% 21% 21% * figures were rounded ’08 and beyond As 2008 grows near, there are some certainties in the imaging world. DRA will continue to make life tough, trimming profits and forcing sites to do more with less. Improving workflow has become an absolute mandate in the face of DRA, increased competition and flat budgets. Sites are turning to a variety of technical and operational fixes. Think advanced technology, strong and talented staff, market differentiation and customer service. And keep up the good work! HealthImaging.com Nearly three-fourths of sites that say they are adding, upgrading or replacing CT are in the market for a 64-slice system. Epic Imaging, which operates two 64-slice systems, may consider 256-slice CT when it hits the market, possibly as early as the end of 2007. Sixty-four slice systems also top the PET/CT market, but the next contender is 16-slice hybrids with about 28 O C T O B E R 2 0 07 | Health Imaging & IT http://HealthImaging.com
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