The main focus of radiology professionals is on patient outcomes. To maintain a tight focus on better outcomes and quality care, there has to also be a strong focus on radiology workflow solutions. In fact, CIOs have taken note and are willing to make sure the budget reflects expenditures that will improve workflow.
If there is a challenge that most radiologists can say they share with each other, it’s tracking outcomes. This can be expected because a majority of radiologists don’t work directly with patients. Rather, they work with other medical professionals. Therefore, a move is in order, one that takes radiologists and makes them a more direct part of patient care based on the actual needs of the patient.
Faster Results
Minimizing wait times is at the top of the list of improvements needed. Longer wait times are associated with higher costs and sometimes outcomes that aren’t ideal for patients. For example, if a person comes to a healthcare facility with pneumonia-like symptoms, they’ll need an imaging study to see exactly what’s going on. If they wait for a prolonged period of time, they are not getting the antibiotics they need to fight the infection, which means they’re more likely to have to be admitted to the hospital as their symptoms become more serious.
If you look at the emergency department (ED), there is an influx of complex imaging studies, which results in longer wait times. This can be made less of a problem if there is a closer relationship between radiology and ED workers.
Success has been made in this area through automated prioritization processes, which is a method through which imaging workflows are tightened up to make collaboration between the ED and radiology easier and more visible.
The side effect of a more open line of communication and automated processes is minimized wait times, improved patient care and a direct impact on revenue.
Faster PACS
Another area that deserves a look in relation to minimizing wait times is the efficiency of PACS from one department to the next. In many cases, there is no communication between PACS. Fortunately, the advent of vendor neutral archiving has erased the barriers between where images are stored and how they are viewed.
Furthermore, if your PACS are easily configurable and highly scalable, you’ll be able to improve workflow as needed, which results in minimized wait times. You need to be able to rely on your PACS, even in the most complex medical imaging settings. At OffSite Image Management, our PACS technology is installed in 10,000 installations throughout the world. Our clients are seeing the advantages of taking on our solutions, not the least of which is lower costs. Check out our PACS features and see which package will fit your needs.
