While radiology workflow takes into account the needs of the healthcare professional and staff morale, it also focuses on the needs of the patient. It is important to many patients to have the opportunity to speak to a radiologist about their imaging results instead of their referring physician. Do radiologists and other imaging specialists have the tools to do this efficiently and meet patient needs?
Understandably, most patients are nervous about their results, which means waiting for a prolonged period for them can lead to a lot of stress. This is a major reason why it is important to address radiology workflow. Test results should be available in the patient portal within 24 hours of the exam. Patient portals are important for patients as they are able to become more informed about their diagnosis. Almost 90% of hospitals in the U.S. now offer patient portals and around 60% allow patients to send messages to their physicians, according to a report published in Health IT Management. This gives patients better access to results and a better connection with the healthcare professionals that can get them on the right track with treatments for a better quality of life.
Improved Radiology Tools
When radiologists are using antiquated hardware and software, radiology workflow becomes an issue and results are not able to be quickly sent to the patient portal. To avoid bogging down the process, implementing cloud-based radiology solutionscan providea speedier, more efficient and accurate outcome, which eases patient stress levels and improves the quality of care.
A healthcare provider that continues to rely on CDs as their means of delivering images to referring physicians runs into a lot of snags that are unnecessary. CDs get lost, malfunction, get stolen or are improperly burned, which causes a variety of problems. With a cloud-based solution, the images can be transferred digitally, immediately and without all the roadblocks that occur with CDs.
Cloud PACS
Cloud-based PACS have a major role in improving radiology workflows today. When you want to be able to rely on a stable system that offers consistent uptime and little to no downtime, a cloud-based PACS is the way to go.
At OffSite Image Management, we’ve developed a cloud-based PACS solution that integrates with almost any medical information system (HIS, RIS, EMR). This means communication gets a boost, allowing you to convey everything you need to referring physicians, patients and anyone else associated with the patient’s care.
Our approach also brings more stability to the platform, which improves uptime and performance. And if you need add-on modules, we have plenty of them. Find out more about our solutions that improve workflow by contacting us today.