Liza Haar, Editor, Diagnostic Imaging

Sixty-eight percent of radiologists told us in our annual Radiology Compensation Survey, they are happy being radiologists. This satisfaction comes even though, not surprisingly, rads are logging long hours (63 percent work 41 to 75 hours a week). Most of the respondents were veterans of the radiology industry, with more than 20 years of experience.

This year, we also found that salaries dipped slightly (the mean salary for 2014 was about $355,000, down from a mean of $400,000 in 2013), but again, all signs point to overall job satisfaction. There is a lot of talk amongst rads about the future of radiology, and whether it is reimbursement, the job market or government policies, rads worry about where their profession is going.

On the other hand, many of today’s radiologists have had the opportunity to see imaging technology change right before their eyes (no pun intended!). While change can be frustrating, being a part of innovation and seeing the beneficial effects it has on your career is a fulfilling experience for rad professionals. Regardless of the state of the industry, rads are still happy in their field and as the radiology industry continues to change, the community continues to embrace that change.

For more results on salaries and job satisfaction among radiologists, technologists and administrators, check out the official survey from Diagnostic Imaging.

Photo courtesy of Diagnostic Imaging

Photo courtesy of Diagnostic Imaging

The post Survey: Radiologists are Happy at Work appeared first on Everything Rad.

Barry D. Pressman, MD, Professor and Chair, Department of Imaging, S. Mark Taper Foundation Imaging Center, Cedars-Sinai

Post-processing as part of the workflow is a given with PACS workstations today. These post-processing techniques must be simple and rapid and the benefits are several:

1. Improved hanging protocols. Post-processing at the PACS station is the most convenient, if it is part of the hanging protocols. This saves the radiologist time by eliminating the manual reordering of images for diagnosis and ensures a consistent presentation of the images for a particular study.
2. Faster turnaround time. When additional reprocessing is necessary, beyond what the techs provide, time spent calling the techs and the delay in TAT can be obviated.
3. Reduced tech time. When performed on the PACS as part of the routine hanging protocol, tech time can be minimized and more throughputs of cases may result.
4. Clarification. Post-processing can be performed on the fly to clarify abnormalities for the reader and to provide demonstrations to clinicians.

I have experienced these benefits in the workplace, further proving my confidence in post-processing workflow in PACS.   Here are two examples:

In the first example, a clinician came by immediately after a CT exam performed for complicated fractures in facial bones. The exam had been performed to clarify the extent of the fractures and to plan the imminent surgery. The 2D and 3D reformats had not yet been performed by the techs. Thanks to PACS post-processing capabilities, we were able to create the 2D and 3D images on the fly, which clarified the presence of a tripod type fracture with a subtle posterior component that was not obvious on the axial acquisition images.

By working directly with the clinician, I was able to quickly generate the views needed to answer his concerns. The clinician was rapidly satisfied that he had all the information necessary to perform the surgery, with none of the delays that would have occurred if the tech was involved.

The second example of success in post-processing involves selective views and measurements related to vascular stenoses (abnormal narrowing of blood vessels) using vessel probe type processing. This is performed by the radiologists on the PACS to clarify questionable findings on the acquisition images and/or the post processed images performed by the techs, increasing our level of confidence.

Post-processing In both of these cases provided our facility with the most efficient and effective workflow possible. Our post-processing capabilities at the PACS workstation have allowed us to make necessary simple and complicated 2D and 3D reformats in a short amount of time making it possible to quickly review procedures and to reach a higher level of confidence with our findings. We believe this has increased our accuracy level, and the confidence of our clinicians in our interpretations.

The post Four Key Advantages for Radiologists Using Advanced Post-Processing Capabilities appeared first on Everything Rad.

Don Thompson, Marketing Manager, Carestream U.S. & Canada

Patient experience. Cost containment. Clinical Quality. Physician alignment.

A recent Advisory Board blog post about the CXO perspective of imaging success reported that the C-Suite places more importance on these factors than volume growth.

It’s no surprise that provider priorities are changing. In response to this change imaging leaders are seizing the opportunity to adopt the broader system’s objectives and success measures.

This service line realignment becomes even more important during purchasing decisions. Radiology administrators must be able to demonstrate the impact of a new technology
investment on the right institutional objective.

Consider how the CARESTREAM DRX-Revolution helped these four
radiology departments:

1. Clinical quality – “The DRX-Revolution helps our neonatologists improve care by delivering exceptional image quality and has also helped enable our staff to reduce dose by more than half. The ability to lower dose is especially important for pediatric patients due to the harmful effects of radiation on children and also because these very ill babies often require frequent X-ray exams. The DRX-Revolution automatically displays the previous technique so that we can ensure imaging consistency, which is especially important to help physicians detect changes in these very small patients. Physicians also report that being able to view images at the tubehead when they are inserting PICC lines and other devices is especially helpful because they no longer have to leave the bedside to verify correct placement. This speeds the process and reduces discomfort for these very fragile patients.” – Brad Hellwig, Director of Radiology, and Beth Wilson, Manager of Radiology, Crouse Hospital
2. Cost containment – “We have reduced our fleet of portable imaging systems by one-third. Carestream’s DRX detectors can also be moved to another mobile imaging system. So if one of our existing portable systems goes down, we can move the detector to another unit,– Juanita Reader, RT(R), Manager of Diagnostic Radiology In-Patient and Informatics, OSF Saint Francis Medical Center
3. Patient experience – “With the DRX detector, images are available over a wireless network in about five seconds, which can expedite diagnosis and treatment. This also eliminates the time-consuming process of transporting cassettes to a CR system for processing. The detector is light and it’s much easier for technologists to position correctly because the detector offers a full field of view. Detectors that are larger than the size of the image they capture are more difficult to work with.”  –  Tina Harvey, RT (R), Radiology Manager, Baylor University Medical Center
4. Physician Alignment – “The DRX-Revolution also delivers process improvements for everyone involved in the imaging workflow—from technologists to physicians, radiologists and specialists. Since images from the portable systems are available in about five seconds, physicians can make rapid decisions that can improve patient care. The hospital’s technologists worked with radiologists to create new techniques for portable exams that lowered the dose while optimizing image quality. When Carestream’s consultant came to the site for training, she displayed four views of the same exposure so radiologists could select their preferred display preference. We didn’t even know it was possible to do this but it made our radiologists extremely happy.” – Chief Technologist Chris Vineyard, University Health System, San Antonio

Have you explored how a change in portable imaging strategy could contribute to your organizational goals?

Learn how one of American’s top hospitals – Indiana University Methodist Hospital –  converted from portable CR systems to DRX technology to improve physician satisfaction and boost staff morale here.

The post Four Radiology Department Improvements Unlocked by the DRX-Revolution appeared first on Everything Rad.

Belimar Velazquez, MBA, Director of Marketing and Inside Sales, United States & Canada, Carestream

Healthcare providers work every day to deliver the best quality of care and the best experience to their patients. In many cases, a provider’s compassionate care creates a special bond and once this connection is created, patient satisfaction and loyalty is established.

However, in some cases, as is the case for radiology professionals, this emotional connection is a little harder to establish.  Consider the “invisible radiologist”:

• 80 % of radiologists don’t meet their patients
• 50 % of adults surveyed don’t know that radiologists interpret x-rays
• Focus group participants were split as to “whether a radiologist is a licensed physician or a technician”

Yet, images – the very medium that defines the radiology role – presents a unique opportunity to establish connections. Think about the rampant proliferation of image sharing online:

• 45% of all internet users create and share images
• 300 million photos  are uploaded to Facebook each day
• More than one third of all links shared on Twitter are images

Image sharing apps like Pinterest, Instagram and Snapchat all have one purpose in common to connect and elicit an emotional reaction through images (and words).  Imaging professionals are at the right place and the right time to help the enterprise establish an emotional connection with their patients through image sharing.

And guess what?  Patients want to see their radiology images and they want to share them.  We partnered with IDR Medical to conduct a survey of 1000 patients across the US with various backgrounds and found that patients place great value on the ability to share images online:

• 61 % want to share their medical images with family members and friends
• 88 % want to share with other physicians
• Only 4 % would not share their own images

A recent Diagnostic Imaging meme portrayed just this fact.

While the meme was supposed to be funny, a quick search on Instagram shows this image sharing is happening now for mammograms, ultrasounds and x-rays:

*Source Webstagram Search  – various hastags indicating images in each category, i.e. xraypictures, ultrasoundpic, mammogramscan

How do you put images into the hands of your patients to build this emotional connection?

The radiology community can turn to secure applications that allow patients and radiologists to share images.   These applications, usually compatible with the EHR/EMR, allow radiologists to establish communication with the patient and “tell a story” through both, images and words.  Here’s how it works:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7zC84TNpIxw&w=560&h=315]

Building an emotional connection through image sharing can bring radiologists out of the dark and directly influence patient satisfaction. Our patient attitudes study found that:

• 79 % of patients would return to a practice that offers online image access
• 77 % would refer family and friends to a practice that offers online image access

What do you think? Can online image sharing play a more role in fostering direct connections with patients? 

The post How to make emotional connections with patients through image sharing appeared first on Everything Rad.

Sean Ruck, editor-in-chief, DOTmed Healthcare Business News

Hospitals have a duty to treat patients, but in order to do so, they have to get them in the door. Even though we’ve entered an era of consolidation, there’s still enough competition out there for medical facilities to strive to differentiate themselves and to one-up their rivals. One way to do that is to tout the latest and greatest equipment. In ideal situations, the equipment they tout should be equipment that actually means something to the public. Low-dose CT fits that bill.

Although there were murmurings for some time about patient radiation dose and discussions about ways to lower dose for years, it wasn’t until 2010 when the New York Times broke a story about patients being exposed to excessive radiation from CT scans that the public really got involved in the discussion.

The infamous 2010 New York Times article about CT scans and radiation dose.

Since that time, the public outcry has increased as more instances of excessive dosing have come to light. After all, “excessive” and “radiation” are not two words that should ever go together. It has caused many to question any imaging that utilizes radiation and rightfully so. Even if some health care officials (certainly some in the hospitals initially reported on) have downplayed the seriousness of excess dose, it’s ultimately to the public’s benefit to keep dose to a minimum — at least in terms of physical health.

That begs the question: in what ways wouldn’t limiting dose benefit the public? Well, the new low-dose CTs aren’t free of course and someone has to foot the bill and hospitals need to turn a profit to stay in business. So if they’re not saving money somehow, they’re raising prices.

Who’s ultimately responsible for the increased demand in low-dose solutions? The way I see it, there are four players in the story. First, there is the press that informed the public about dose and in a way that was hard to ignore — the story’s intro described one patient’s hair loss and offered images of other patients who lost hair due to excessive dose.

The second and third parties are the public and health care providers. The public of course demanded answers and many readily questioned their health care providers when it came time for an imaging procedure. Hospitals listened to patients and, the fourth party, manufacturers, listened to the hospitals.

I believe in this case, it was a trickle-up effect.  But the winners and losers don’t follow the same line. Manufacturers stand to win big because they’re not spending insane amounts of money to create some new modality to fit a need. They’re improving existing technology, so the hoops they have to jump through are easier to deal with. Patients come in second — costs may be passed on to them, but in theory, they should end up healthier. Finally, the hospitals probably make out the worst. Some with funds to quickly shift to the lower-dose solutions might do alright from an advertising standpoint, but eventually their competition will catch up and the benefit will be nullified. And of course the press did well — four years later and we’re still talking about the story.

The post Who is the Winner of the Dose Debate? appeared first on Everything Rad.

Andy Lim, HCIS Business Manager ASEAN,
Carestream Health Singapore

Technology is constantly evolving. It seems like every day there is a better, smaller device that replaces the new one you bought yesterday and still don’t know how to use yet. In the past (present for some hospitals), image sharing was done solely via film distribution and multiple copies needed to be printed for multiple physicians to view the study.

As technology advances, hospitals begin looking to store their digital images in a centralized archive for distribution within and outside the hospital. This enhances the workflow of the hospital and brings clinical benefits not only to radiologists and clinicians, but also to patients.

While different technology may support certain mobile devices, your archive is the source where data is fed to your device. Your archive is also the foundation of data sharing.

Having a Vendor Neutral Archive (VNA) in place today ensures all clinical data belonging to the patient is securely stored and ready to be connected to a validated mobile technology/device. The other advantage of VNA is that data is stored in a non-proprietary format with the ability to ingest and store DICOM and NON-DICOM files so it gives the clinical users a complete patient portfolio, hence enhancing better patient care.

This mobile technology is extremely beneficial to three key groups of mobile users in the radiology space:

1. Radiologists want access to view emergency cases and provide preliminary reports without traveling back to the hospital when they’re on call.
2. Clinicians want access to images and reports in the clinic without complex installation or the need for a high end workstation.
3. Patients want access to images and medical reports without the need to carry film or DVDs, and to be able to share their studies with other doctors for second opinions.

At Carestream, we’ve come a long way in the design of our software for use with mobile technologies and platforms to ensure they evolve in accordance with the needs of our customers and are easily integrated with the wide array of healthcare technologies. We realize that nothing lasts forever but rather than just accepting the fact, we responded by creating affordable solutions for our customers to stay one step ahead of technology.

We recognize that not every IT solution can provide enterprise distribution – and yet that is what you need. For this reason we developed Vue Motion, a lightweight, vendor neutral viewer that can enables radiologists and clinicians to access patient data regardless of whether it is embedded in an EMR or it is serving as a standalone imaging viewer.  It has an intuitive interface, so it requires no dedicated resources or training. Yet it can handle virtually any task from calling up basic patient information to accessing full studies, as well as distributing reports and images.

Patients are becoming more involved than ever in their healthcare. As image distribution in radiology evolves, hospitals are constantly looking at innovative and cost effective methods to distribute images and results to the patient. Spire Healthcare, the UK’s second largest provider of private healthcare, has implemented Carestream’s Vue Motion zero-footprint viewer to enable its clinicians to view patient images on Apple, Android and other validated devices.

As this independent viewer is PACS-agnostic, clinicians across Spire can securely view PACS images from all of Spire’s 37 locations, where 27 sites have CARESTREAM Vue RIS/PACS and 10 sites use other systems. This ability to access images across multiple platforms is bringing increased flexibility to Spire consultants and timely results to patients.

“Vue Motion has made a vast difference to my image reporting,” said Dr Qaiser Malik, Consultant Radiologist at Spire Healthcare. “I no longer have to physically go to the hospital to log in at one of the workstations to view images and previous reports. I can log in at weekends wherever I am which is of great advantage. It is an absolutely fabulous tool and advances patient care by providing clinicians with timely reports and a head-start on treatment options.”

Read the full case study on Spire Healthcare and see what more Vue Motion provided the facility with here:

What is the biggest obstacle for your facility to overcome when trying to keep up with the variety of healthcare technologies?

The post The Future of Mobile Technology in Healthcare appeared first on Everything Rad.

Todd Minnigh is a familiar face in the AHRA community. As a frequent conference attendee and speaker, he has presented on a variety of topics because he has seen and experienced a great deal throughout his career. In a new role within Carestream, Minnigh’s responsibilities have allowed him to travel the world to get a closer look at how other countries are practicing medical imaging and addressing important trends such as dose reduction and process efficiency.

He took the time to answer a few questions related to the presentation he will be giving at AHRA 2014, “Patient Care, Over There: What We Can Learn from Radiology Practices Around the Globe.” The presentation will be taking place on Monday, Aug. 11, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 10:00-11:00 a.m.

When it comes to patient care, is there a difference in defining patient satisfaction among countries? Are they looking at different factors? 

Minnigh: The biggest difference is probably not what satisfies the patient, but how it is measured.  In the U.S., under the ACA, we use the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) survey. It looks at things like responsiveness of the staff and the quietness of the hospital. In many industries, Net Promoter Score (NPS) is considered a best practice. It measures the likelihood that customers will recommend you or refer others to you.  In the end, folks will move their efforts toward improving whatever they measure.

What are the biggest challenges facing productivity and workflow issues today? 

Minnigh: The most common challenge is having sufficient budget for expertise and technology. This is true everywhere, more in some locations than others. The technology and processes exist today to make almost any place more productive. The trick is to know exactly what you need, how to implement it and how to pay for it.

What are some of the differences in technology adoption you have seen from around the world?

Minnigh: There are many. The most interesting for folks from the new world may be that many countries overseas have PACS, but still print all their images to film. In some cases this is for archive, referring physicians and/or because the patient expects a copy.

What are some approaches to radiation dose management that you have seen around the world but are not as prominent in the U.S.?

Minnigh: In Germany, radiation dose is very carefully managed. This is one reason portables are limited in the emergency department. Scatter reaches other patients even though they may be ‘far away’ by our way of thinking. Also every machine has a DAP, or Dose Area Product Meter, right on the collimator to determine the amount of radiation the machine produced. Carefully tracking this is a common practice in Europe and is becoming much more common here now too.

What’s the most important lesson AHRA members can take away from the practices you’ve seen around the world?

Minnigh: The most important lesson is to think outside the box.  There are other ways to do things, other priorities to consider.  We get very focused on what we do and doing it better, we often don’t consider if it could be done in an entirely different way or if it really needs to be done at all.

Todd Minnigh is the vice president of worldwide sales  and marketing development at Carestream. His talk at AHRA 2014,  “Patient Care, Over There: What We Can Learn from Radiology Practices Around the Globe.” will be taking place on Monday, Aug. 11, from 4:00-5:00 p.m. and Wednesday, Aug. 13, from 10:00-11:00 a.m.

The post Patient Care Over There: A Talk About Global Radiology Practices appeared first on Everything Rad.

Technological evolution, government legislation and industry regulations continually change the ability of our industry to provide the best, most affordable care to patients.

Today’s patient expectations are that they will get high quality care, be able to choose from health care providers and get care at a reasonable price.  In addition to reasonable healthcare costs, patients also expect that there will be transparency so that they are fully aware of their investment.

The expectations do not, however, match the reality of healthcare today.   In the radiology sector, however, there are a number of things happening that address these expectations in a positive way.  In a 3-part blog series, we will take a look at what’s being done and how important radiology’s role plays in today’s changing healthcare landscape.

Blog #1 will focus on access. Access goes well beyond seeing practitioners that are in your neighborhood.  It includes accessing your own healthcare data.  How patient data is captured and shared is becoming more integrated into the healthcare process and, therefore, working to address access concerns.

Blog #2 will focus on cost. At a time when 23% of U.S. adults either had problems paying medical bills or were unable to pay them, cost is top of mind for patients and practitioners.  Imaging costs now vary widely and, money spent on imaging has correlated to a reduction in hospital stays. Data show that radiology is very important to streamlining healthcare costs.

Finally, blog #3 will focus on quality. New regulations, controlled costs for facilities and patients, and technological innovations have given healthcare providers the ability to more easily provide patients a high-quality level of care. Particularly in radiology, we see significant advances in the products and software that support the capture and delivery of images.

Use our sign up box to receive the blog posts in your inbox or come back tomorrow for Part I of this series when we will look at how radiology’s role improves access to healthcare.

Norman Yung is the CMO for Carestream. His series about macro trends in healthcare will be published in three parts throughout the rest of 2014. Part I will be posted tomorrow, with Part II and III being published in October and November.

The post Access, Cost and Quality: Macro Trends in Healthcare appeared first on Everything Rad.

La versión española de este post se puede leer aquí.

David Sesma is the managing director of Intech, company specialized in technical healthcare engineering, both in healthcare radiology and veterinary radiography. Moreover, Sesma has a degree in Physics and is an expert in veterinary clinical software.

Carestream and Intech have developed a system for veterinary radiology exams, with more than 500 veterinarians around Europe using the system. With his experience and knowledge, Sesma is the perfect person to explain the issues we see in veterinary medicine.

How does radiology works in veterinary science? Do you think that in recent years the level of this science has increased through new technological innovations?

Sesma: Currently, the most demanded diagnostic method in veterinary activities is the radiology. This science has become so important to the veterinarian sector that to be approved as a clinic center, they must have surgery and X-ray equipment.
Technological advances in this area in the last 25 years (specifically to veterinary radiology equipment, digital systems adapted to the needs of industry, etc.) have led to growth from 10% to 75% regarding veterinary centers with a registered radiology team. As for digital radiology systems, only 10 years ago, only large referral centers would have the equipment, whereas today over 50% of new businesses are provided with digital radiology systems when first opening.

How does new software affect conventional radiology techniques in the veterinary industry?

Sesma: The development of applications for the collection of radiology images for veterinary activities has significantly helped  to diagnose diseases and the appropriate treatment.  Having specific radiology filters for each animal and anatomical region have contributed to the reduction of repeated exposures, and has also led to reduced radiation dose. On the other side are the measurement tools and veterinary applications that allow for accurate diagnoses as efficiently as possible, while also optimizing cost reduction.

What is the most striking difference between the software for animals versus human beings?

Sesma: A veterinary treatment program is designed by veterinarians and responds to all the demands of the sector. In fact, every six months we incorporate new tools and modify some that have already been made, based on feedback we receive directly from customers

The biggest difference lies in the fact that the veterinary surgeon has a particular expertise. He is part radiologist, part internist, and part cardiologist and psychologist. So what we have always tried, and I think we have achieved, is to implement an intuitive computer program that is easy to use. We have moved away from the complicated PACS platforms for human images, which you have to be an expert to manage.

Our goal has always been very clear: putting the service veterinary diagnostic tools in place, and prevent veterinarians from having to continue to use out-of-date, ineffective software.

Can Intech software also be used with unconventional pets?

Sesma: There are more and more households containing pets other than dogs and cats, resulting in increasingly frequent consultations with birds, rodents, reptiles, ferrets, rabbits, etc. There are already many clinics in Europe (of course in Spain) specializing in “exotic animals.” So in our software, we contemplate different tools and filters for dogs, cats, horses, reptiles, small mammals, rodents, birds, turtles and other reptiles for example.

Incorporating a new technology needs to be accompanied with a training session. Would you say that veterinarians can easily adapt to new technologies?

Sesma: If someone is used to a certain way of doing things, the problem is not for that person, it is for the company–it has failed to adapt to the client. Today, veteran professionals who have never handled a computer, send emails, take pictures, play “Candy Crush” and hold video conferences with their grandchildren. This has been achieved thanks to the new usable software that we find in today’s devices, be it tablet, smartphone, or PC. That’s what developers should do—solutions must answer your questions. Veterinarians who are committed to our company have learned the new technologies, without a doubt.

Is the same security applied to both people and animals, in terms of standard protocol and regulation?

Sesma: There is not a gap in legislation. In fact, the RD 1085/2009 plays under the same heading for veterinary and conventional radiology equipment for humans. So our quality standard and our manufacturing CE markings don’t discriminate in terms of security, whether the use of the equipment is for human or animal patients.

Which would you say are the biggest benefits in the partnership between Intech and Carestream?

Sesma: The win-win relationship. Both companies are in the same line of support and non- interference in each of our tasks. Carestream has given us the green light to carry 100% of the veterinary market and as well as the support of the product, which is considered by many veterinarians to be the best product in its class .

The post Veterinary Medical Imaging: Give the Customer a Solution, Not a Problem appeared first on Everything Rad.

“Diagnostic Reading” is a new weekly series in which we will be sharing five articles we have come across in the past week that are worth reading and sharing. The topics covered will be across the spectrum–from radiology and medical imaging trends, to the most important issues affecting healthcare IT today. We hope you find these articles valuable.

1) Cloud Security and What it Means for Our Health

This article addresses many common questions regarding cloud security in healthcare. The article talks about the basics of the cloud before the discussion shifts to the transformation of healthcare with new technology.

2) Adding DBT to Screening Mammo Boosts Benefits, But Not Cost

Research conducted at the University of Washington has revealed that digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) is cost effective and beneficial to mammography patients. This article analyzes the economic and medical benefits of DBT.

3) BYOD Security Risks: Strategies to Protect Your Hospital

The BYOD, or bring your own device, trend has started in many hospitals. This allows medical professionals to use their own phone, tablet etc. to access patient portals. This article talks about the potential security risks and how to deal with those risks.

4) Meaningful Use Problems Go Beyond Just Software, Say “Stage 2 Flexibility” Critics

This article touches on some of the current and potential difficulties of Stage 2 Meaningful Use.  As Meaningful Use progresses, healthcare teams will not have as much time to plan.

5) Assuring Quality: a Challenge that Must Be Met Now

In this article, Thomas Pope, MD, discusses the importance of peer-reviewing X-ray results in order to provide more successful diagnostic readings.

The post Diagnostic Reading: Five Must-Read Articles from the Past Week appeared first on Everything Rad.

Here are five readings that you may have missed this week. Relationships between physicians and radiologists was a theme this week. The readings include, an examination of the costly problem of unnecessary care, using social media to drive patient engagement, two studies from the Journal of the American College of Radiology, and an article that tells the story of a new style of healthcare provision.

1) Medical Necessity and Unnecessary Care – the Full Story

This article addresses the costly problem of unnecessary care. According to the author, procedures that are not evidence based account for about 30% of total healthcare costs.

2) Using Social Media for Community Engagement: A Success Story

Social media is growing in just about every industry, healthcare is no different. Read about the benefits that social media use can offer healthcare providers and customers, and how its effective use can be the next step on the journey to encourage patient engagement.

3) Primary Care Doctors Say Imaging Improves Patient Care

An email survey conducted by the Journal of the American College of Radiology found that physicians depend on imaging to find results that are not otherwise available. An impressive percentage of physicians find imaging valuable to their job and that it helps them make better decisions.

4)  Interactive Radiology Reports Preferred by Referring Physicians

Another study by the Journal of the American College of Radiology revealed that physicians see benefits in using interactive radiology reports. The study found interactive reports improved understanding of radiology findings by correlating images to text reports and provided easier access to images while monitoring progression of a disease or condition.

5) ‘Direct Primary Care’ Shown to Please Patients and Reduce Costs, Including for Imaging

Insurance that covers unlimited visits to a primary-care for a monthly fee has proven to pay off in more than one way. While the system has satisfied patients across the board, it also cuts down on imaging and healthcare costs.

The post Diagnostic Reading #13: Five Must Read Articles from the Past Week appeared first on Everything Rad.

A survey of 1,000 U.S.-based patients revealed that 83% believed that there is value in being able to access their medical images via a secure portal.

This may not come as a huge surprise as patient portal adoption continues to grow in the U.S. and throughout the world, but medical images are often left out of the portal mix. The benefits to providing this access to patients are numerous, with the most obvious being that patients are rightfully provided with the ability to engage with their healthcare providers, effectively empowering them with control over their own care.

In the white paper embedded below that was originally hosted on Healthcare IT News, the study referenced above is explained in further detail. In addition to the 83% of patients who said they would use a patient portal to access images, 76.5% said they would recommend such a portal to their family and friends, and 79.3% said said that they would return for future imaging exams to facilities that offered such a portal.

These types of findings not only give providers an idea of how their patients want information delivered to them, but also gives an idea of how bringing medical images into the patient portal mix can provide value to the overall business with a high number of returning patients, as well as recommending such facilities that provide this offering.

To learn more about the study, you can read the embedded version below, or download Imaging Portals: Driving Patient Engagement, Improving Patient Experience and Satisfaction via the link.

The post Imaging Portals Drive Patient Engagement and Satisfaction appeared first on Everything Rad.

Another week, another issue of Diagnostic Reading to provide with a few articles to read in case you missed them this week. The focus of these articles is on social media to promote research, medical identity theft trends, big data and artificial intelligence, regulatory changes for medical imaging, and optimizing hospital radiology.

1) Social Media Boosts Awareness of New Research – AuntMinnie

The Journal of the American College of Radiology  released a report which found that a blog post promoted on social media generated more than 10 times the page views of research articles published online in two peer-reviewed journals.

2) Medical Identity Theft Hits All-Time High – Healthcare IT News

A majority of medical identity theft victims can expect to pay upwards of $13,500 to resolve the crime. Also, about 50% of consumers say they would find another healthcare provider if they were concerned about the security of their medical records.

3) As Big Data Grows, the Need for AI Comes into Focus – Healthcare IT News

“By 2020, there will be 200 times more data than any physician can absorb,” according to Dr. Anthony Chang, a pediatric cardiologist. “And its doubling every two years.” In a keynote address at the National Healthcare Innovation Summit, he talked about “Intelligence-as-a-Service,” a network that could make it possible for doctors to tap into knowledge from specialists anywhere when they encounter a medical situation that is not responding to treatment.

4) Ready, Set, Go: Regulatory Changes Ahead for Medical Imaging – Radiology Business Journal

“Today, regulatory changes occur all year long, and—in addition to the incredible amount of work required to manage the department, imaging center or practice—it is almost impossible to keep abreast of them. Most administrators are not prepared for all of the changes coming in the next 2 years.”

5) The Mission to Optimize Hospital Radiology – Radiology Business Journal

Radiology Business Journal spoke with radiology leaders at five different health systems to understand how they are optimizing radiology to lower costs and improve care quality. Standardizing care protocols, centralizing operations and creating physician–administrator “dyads” to drive change are key strategies.

The post Diagnostic Reading #32: Five Must-Read Articles from the Past Week appeared first on Everything Rad.

Reposted from Imaging Technology News (ITN) with permission.

While I write a lot about medical imaging technology and how new technology can and should work, it is not often that I get to experience how things actually work in the real world. This past Thanksgiving I received a call from a paramedic explaining that my mom had fractured her leg and I should stop working on the turkey and fixings and rush to the emergency department (ED) at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Ill. She had been walking her dog on wet grass and leaves in a park when her dog took off after another dog and pulled her down. She was whipped around and the change in weight caused her to dislocate her ankle (the bottom of her shoe was facing her when she looked at her feet) and caused a spiral fracture to her fibula.

A bedside screen shot of a Carestream DRX mobile X-ray in the ED of the fractured fibula.

When I got there my mom was already heavily sedated due to the pain and because the ED staff had already put her ankle back in place. The ED doctor ordered a digital radiograph (DR) of her leg to see the extent of damage. They wheeled in a new Carestream DRX mobile X-ray system and I had a live demonstration of how fast these types of systems can snap the pictures. It called up the images immediately on the machine’s screen. The image of the Pott’s fracture with fragments was really interesting as someone who covers radiology, but I also realized from a non-clinical standpoint she was really messed up and in pain. Additionally, she would need reconstructive surgery to put her Humpty Dumpty leg back together again. She was way up the creek without a paddle with it being Thanksgiving and there were no orthopedic surgeons in staff due to the holiday. The day after Thanksgiving was not much better, as we found, since most physicians were out through the following Monday. So the ER splinted the leg, wrapped it in ace bandages and sent her home with heavy pain killers.

Compounding her mobility issues was the fact that she has bilateral knee replacements. Due to the trauma, broken bone and knowing she had these implants that further limited her ability to move around, she was prescribed a prophylactic anticoagulant.

Knowing we would need the images for a surgeon to review, I had the ED burn a CD. However, I was happy to find

The post-surgical X-ray showing the bone repair, which was accessed and copied by the patient using a patient portal.

Edward is among the growing number of hospitals to grant patients access to their health records via a DR Systems Internet image/results distribution system. This technology pulls images and reports from the hospitals’ Epic EMR (electronic medical record) system and makes them available for remote viewing by clinicians outside of the hospital’s picture archiving and communication system (PACS). She also was given login instructions at discharge for a patient portal so she could access her records and images herself on a home computer or smartphone.

We managed to find one orthopedic surgeon in their office on the Friday after Thanksgiving. They thought it was great that we had a CD, but before attempting to open it, they asked which hospital she had been at. Edward was already in a health information exchange, so outlying offices such as this one from a different medical group could access her records remotely in less than a minute. They were able to call up her images and see what meds she was prescribed, which made the office visit go much faster.

She had surgery on Dec. 1, the Tuesday of RSNA 2015. The orthopedic surgeon practiced at Elmhurst Hospital in Elmhurst, Ill., across the county from Naperville. But, thanks to the remote image viewing system, they could get the ED images for reference and planning. The surgeon’s post-surgery DR image showing the reconstruction of the fibula also was available via my mom’s patient portal.

She did what most patients today do with this type of access and posted her X-rays on Facebook. Leveraging the Facebook form of patient engagement, the result was lots of sympathy, flowers and friends volunteering to help her with things around the house and groceries since she cannot walk or drive for at least two months.

While an unfortunate incident and a horrible thing to have happen to my mom, from a professional standpoint, I was happy to see the technology I cover working in the real world as it was intended. The speed in workflow efficiency, speed and ease of access to her imaging at the point of care and remotely, and access to a patient portal are all examples of how the healthcare system should work. In this case, the technology and imaging integration was flawless.

Dave Fornell, ITN Editor

To learn more about the CARESTREAM DRX-Revolution, click here.

The post X-rays and Mom — Case Study into the State of Imaging Technology appeared first on Everything Rad.

This week’s diagnostic reading articles describe the need to deploy enterprise image viewers, growing adoption of telemedicine tools by healthcare providers, changes expected in data security, cloud and mobile technologies, why radiologists need to lead change and how patient-centric care can result in shorter perceived wait times and greater satisfaction.

• Enterprise Image Viewing Still Lags Among Providers – Health Data Management

Providers have more work to do to expand enterprise image viewing, which gives clinicians the ability to quickly view patient images without limitations on where they can view them, according to the results of a new HIMSS Analytics survey. The survey of 144 hospital, health system and ambulatory PACS/radiology leaders, follows a similar study conducted by HIMSS Analytics in late 2014 to gauge trends in provider adoption of enterprise image viewing. Less than half of respondents indicated that they use an enterprise image viewer to meet their diagnostic imaging needs.

• Telehealth: Connecting with patients for better outcomes – Health Management Technology

Telemedicine tools like smartphones, two-way video, email, and wearable technology are becoming increasingly common in many healthcare settings. In 2014, HIMSS led a study that found that 46 percent of more than 400 hospitals and medical practices said they used at least one type of telemedicine. Additionally, the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine (AIHM) found that 33 percent of U.S. healthcare practitioners offered healthcare services via telephone, video, or webcam visits, and another 29 percent planned to do so in the next few years.

• Six Changes to Expect in Data Security, Cloud and Mobile Tech – Health Data Management

Several industry analysts have forecast that 2016 will be the ‘year of action’ on many technology fronts, as several recent trends become commonplace strategies. Cloud computing, data security and mobile are tops among them. This article contains six predictions for what we can expect in 2016 on the mobile technology and cloud computing fronts.

• Radiologists need to lead change – Diagnostic Imaging

Frank Lexa, MD, MBA, radiology residency director for Drexel University College of Medicine, calls upon radiologists to lead change “because if you let someone make changes who doesn’t understand what we do, it will be damaging to our industry and to your patients.” He advises radiologists to pick one project in one location, and demonstrate its value before spreading any alterations elsewhere.

• Patient-centric rad departments have shorter perceived wait times – Radiology Business

Focusing on a patient’s satisfaction can lead to shorter perceived wait times and higher patient satisfaction, according to a study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. Anna Holbrook, MD, Emory University School of Medicine, and colleagues studied questionnaires completed by 147 MR outpatients who had received care from a radiology department in which “patient experience” was a stated strategic priority. The authors found patients often believed the wait time was almost half what it actually was and were satisfied with the experience.

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Several top news sources recently published articles that contain helpful insights for radiology and healthcare IT professionals

This diagnostic reading articles describe how the Internet and mobile technologies have led to higher patient expectations, why radiologists need to maintain good relationships with other clinicians and patients to be effective, nine trends to watch in 2016, patient opinions on acceptable ways to share their health information and the latest tactics being employed for cancer detection and treatment.

• Patients demand more personalized treatment – Healthcare IT News

Eight-nine percent of healthcare providers say technology has changed patient expectations, according to a recent EMC report. Respondents to the survey, which polled 236 healthcare leaders from 18 countries, said more than half of their patients wanted faster access to services. 45 percent wanted 24/7 access and connectivity and 42 percent wanted access on more devices. Another 47 percent said they wanted “personalized” experiences.

• How radiologists can get along with everyone – Diagnostic Imaging

While office colleagues are integral to a radiologist’s success, they can’t be the only other players to comprise the team. To be truly effective, radiologists must cultivate and maintain open relationships with other stakeholders – referring physicians, hospitals, technologists, and, most importantly, patients.

• The year ahead in radiology: 9 trends to watch in 2016 – Auntminnie

What does the year ahead hold for radiology? From a growing reliance on big data for improved efficiency to the emergence of 3D printing as a clinical tool, medical imaging will continue to experience the constant evolution that is a hallmark of the specialty.

• Patients struggle with sharing health information online, cite privacy concerns, breaches, Pew report says – Healthcare IT News

Just over half of Americans feel it would be acceptable for doctors to use health information websites to manage patient records, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Another 20 percent of respondents said it would depend on the scenario. Just 26 percent said this type of data sharing was unacceptable. “It depends on exactly what records are shared,” one respondent said. “It would have to be a very secure site for me to trust it. Scheduling appointments online wouldn’t bother me though.”

• War on cancer, take two – Modern Healthcare

President Nixon launched the first war on cancer in 1971. The past 40+ years have brought greater understanding of cancer’s genomics and mortality rates have dropped by 23% since 1991. Yet industry experts remain cautious about finding a cure.

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Our Diagnostic Reading Top Picks

This week’s articles describe the high priority radiologists place integrating PACS with an EHR, expected growth for the global ultrasound market, patients’ desire for personalized treatment, Radiology Today’s top picks for areas within the imaging space that promise the greatest innovations and a study that indicates mentally demanding activities may play an important role in maintaining a healthy brain.

• Piecing together patient data: Integrated EHR a high priority for radiologists – Radiology Business

With such a wide variety of PACS and electronic health records (EHRs) in the marketplace, decision-makers at hospitals and private practices have a lot to consider when purchasing new equipment. If they want to keep their radiologists happy, they may want to make sure the PACS can be properly integrated with the EHR. According to a recent study published by the Journal of the American College of Radiology, an integrated EHR is a bigger priority to radiologists than having access to the most advanced clinical features.

• Global ultrasound market expected to grow 5% by 2021 – Auntminnie

The global ultrasound market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% between 2015 and 2021, according to a new report by Research and Markets. Growth is driven by various factors such as an increase in the number of cancer patients, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and other lifestyle-oriented diseases, and in birth rates and awareness of the utility of ultrasound.

• 5 healthcare imperatives as patients demand more personalized treatment – Healthcare IT News

Eight-nine percent of healthcare providers say technology has changed patient expectations, according to a recent EMC report. Respondents to the survey, which polled 236 healthcare leaders from 18 countries, said more than half of their patients want faster access to services, 45 percent want 24/7 access and connectivity and 42 percent want access on more devices. Another 47 percent said they want “personalized” experiences.

• Less Sizzle, More Steak: 5 Things to Watch in 2016 – Radiology Today

Health care reform is ongoing and new things always crop up in imaging. Our top picks to watch for in 2016 include workflow, cone beam CT, imaging outside the radiology department and implementation of ICD-10.

• Study indicates mentally demanding tasks can protect brain power – Molecular Imaging

Mentally demanding activities may be neuroprotective and an important element for maintaining a healthy brain into late adulthood, according to findings published in Restorative Neurology and Neuroscience.

The post Diagnostic Reading #4: Five Must Read Articles from the Past Week appeared first on Everything Rad.

This week’s articles include: the limitations and applications of mobile devices in radiology; three things CIOs can learn from radiology analytics; how vendor neutral archives can reduce duplicate imaging exams; patients increased trust in the security of EHRs; and a study on communication errors within the radiology department.

• Radiologists must be aware, vigilant with mobile devices – AuntMinnie
  Mobile devices can be used in a variety of applications in radiology, but it’s vital to understand the technology’s limitations and security issues when reading images or sharing cases with colleagues.

• 3 things CIOs can learn from radiology analytics – AuntMinnie

Analytics can illustrate radiology’s value to the healthcare enterprise. Radiology has a meaningful contribution to make within the context of value-based care. And artificial intelligence may transform the practice of radiology in the future. CIOs also need to understand the workflow of radiologists, and varying amounts of time required to read different types of exams.

• VNA to the rescue: Curbing excessive costs in imaging – HealthImaging

Cutting down on exorbitant costs associated with imaging errors, including excessive and repetitive radiology procedures, is a major goal for providers. There’s no quick fix, but installing a vendor-neutral archive (VNA) could be an important piece of the puzzle. A recent report from peer60 found that as much as $12 billion is wasted annually on unnecessary imaging exams, most of which stems from a lack of communication among radiologists, clinicians and other healthcare providers.

• Survey: Patients Gaining Trust in Privacy, Security of Electronic Medical Records – HCInformatics

Patients appear to be gaining trust in the privacy and security of electronic health records (EHRs). Three-quarters of patients support their healthcare providers’ use of EHRs despite any privacy or security concerns, according to a data brief published by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

• Communication errors in radiology found to be impactful, common and not just connected to results – HealthImaging

Of 380 communication errors occurring in the radiology department of an academic medical center over a 10-year period, 37.9 percent had a direct impact on patient care and 52.6 percent were potentially impactful, according to a study in the March edition of the American Journal of Roentgenology. A key finding was that most of these mistakes happened outside of result communications, which suggests that systems need to be developed to guard against communication errors throughout the journey of patients and their data in the radiology department.

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Innovative solutions and fresh coffee at Carestream at RSNA2016!

Check out these videos for a sneak peek of what’s brewing. And stop by our booth #4704 in the South Hall at RSNA16!

The post What’s Brewing at RSNA16? appeared first on Everything Rad.

Carestream Health integrates Materialise service that produces 3D anatomical models for medical applications

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much is an actual physical anatomical model worth?

For some healthcare providers, the ability to see and touch a 3D visualization of pathology or a model of an organ prior to surgery could be priceless. That’s why Carestream is collaborating with Materialise NV to provide healthcare providers with a Web-based printing service to create 3D anatomical models.

AnatomyPrint generates 3D anatomical models from STL files that originate with data in Carestream’s Clinical Collaboration Platform. Materialise can use the files to generate detailed 3D printed models for healthcare providers.

“Our printing service enables healthcare providers to quickly and effortlessly send imaging data to our company, which is a premier supplier of 3D models used in medical applications,” said Brigitte de Vet, Vice President of Materialise Medical Unit. “This technology can help a clinician visualize the anatomy in 3D, which can assist in providing improved patient outcomes.”

3D printing is currently being used in a variety of medical applications ranging from training to diagnostic and therapeutic applications. Many centers are starting up their own 3D printing activity and are looking for access to the technology. In this new collaboration, Materialise and Carestream are providing easy access to high-end 3D printing services from their existing clinical workflow.

Materialise experts create 3D anatomical models using a variety of materials, technologies and colors. With continuing advances in computer and 3D printer technology, it has been possible to develop more realistic models of the human body in recent years. #HealthIT #enterpriseimaging

Ron Muscosky is a Product Line Manager in health IT solutions at Carestream.

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