What could be more important than the relationships facilitated by great communication between a patient and their healthcare provider? In radiology, the evolution of care has included patients taking more proactive roles in their quality of care, which continues to be a catalyst for seeking out better technology that makes interacting with providers easier. How has your approach to technology changed to keep up with the demands of patients?
Homing in on Relationships
Some things about the relationships between the radiologist, the patient and the referring physician will always need to be in place, such as a radiologist offering their expert opinion on an exam, which is then used to provide the right level of care to maintain or improve the health of the patient. What has changed is the empowerment the patient wants to have in the process.
The simple act of making more effort to develop a relationship with the patient is sometimes all that’s required to meet this empowerment demand. It’s only through open communication that a patient will reveal more about their health history, which can help to plan a better course of action for their treatment. Providing a quick and easily-accessed report of their exams through a patient portal is something all radiology professionals should offer, as this also speaks to the demands patients have today about being more readily informed.
Drop the Legalese
For radiology professionals who have years of experience in the field, it can be easy to throw around terms that are used daily in your lexicon, but for patients, it might be the first time they’re hearing them. Part of empowering patients involves not talking over their heads.
If the goal is to have the patient develop a deeper understanding of what’s going on with their wellness, they need to be informed in a way that makes sense to them. It’s often too much for a patient to take in during a single visit, so have materials for them to peruse following their visit so they can fully digest what’s going on.
Workflow Efficiencies
The information approach should include fine-tuning your workflow, so all imaging results are readily available in a quick and easy fashion. At OffSite Image Management, we’ve developed radiology features that speak directly to workflow issues.
We offer a comprehensive suite of solutions that make workflow issues a thing of the past for our clients. From modality worklists to image exchange solutions, DICOM routing to DICOM readers, vendor neutral archives to HL7 interfaces – we have thought of everything.
If you’re limited in your budget, don’t think you can’t utilize the technologies we offer – at OffSite, we’ve helped clients actually save money while improving patient care. Find out more about our services and get connected to technology that speaks to the evolution of patient demands.
