Healthcare IT Digital Community
Speech recognition systems could detect signs of user stress
November 9, 2012 -- Many radiologists feel that speech recognition dictation systems -- one of the cornerstones of digital efficiency -- were thrust upon them. While the systems had the potential to dramatically reduce radiology report turnaround time and operating costs, their use has been burdensome to many radiologists by decreasing their productivity.
Radiation concerns broaden beyond CT in ECRI 2013 hazards list
November 6, 2012 -- Medical imaging radiation once again made the list of the ECRI Institute's top 10 rankings of technology hazards for 2013. But this year, the nonprofit group expanded the category from just CT to include a broader range of imaging-related radiation hazards.
Storing documents in PACS or RIS is a bad idea
 October 25, 2012 -- Managing documents is not a new issue, as document management systems were in place long before and have existed in parallel with PACS and other department information systems, according to a new column by PACS education expert Herman Oosterwijk of OTech.
Study finds EHRs improve care in ambulatory care practices
October 10, 2012 -- Use of electronic health records (EHRs) by physicians with ambulatory care practices in New York's Hudson Valley improved patient care compared with those who used paper records, according to a study published online October 3 in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
GOP House leaders criticize, ask for halt to stage 2 MU
October 5, 2012 -- Republican leaders of the congressional committees in the U.S. House of Representatives overseeing health issues criticized the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services about stage 2 meaningful use (MU) criteria for the adoption of electronic records, and asked that incentive payments be suspended.
Statewide imaging repository takes off in Australia
September 28, 2012 -- Although technically and financially challenging, making a patient's radiology images and records accessible to any physician who needs them is intrinsic to the concept of digital radiology. In Australia, the state of New South Wales is making this happen.
HIMSS promotes need for national patient ID study
September 25, 2012 -- The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has recommended to the U.S. Congress that it should conduct a study to identify an appropriate nationwide patient data matching strategy.
One-size-fits-all radiology reports may not please everyone
September 19, 2012 -- While various radiology report formats may not produce differences in efficiency or reading comprehension, efforts to standardize reporting formats may be complicated by disparate reader habits and preferences, according to research from the University of Arizona and the University of Maryland.
Chang: Radiologists must manage imaging to survive
 September 10, 2012 -- SAN FRANCISCO - Dashboards and scorecards providing tangible measures of performance can serve as a potent defense for radiologists against forces that are attempting to loosen their control over medical imaging, according to PACS pioneer Dr. Paul Chang.
Scannerside aims to bring dose tracking to the masses
 September 6, 2012 -- Radiation dose tracking can be time-consuming and expensive to implement. But a start-up firm called Scannerside aims to make that process easier with a Web-based service that can provide cumulative dose tracking for CT and angiography procedures for all types of medical imaging scanners.
Radiology IT staff resolves sonography workflow problems
September 3, 2012 -- When budgetary constraints prevented a radiology department in Taiwan from purchasing a new RIS to resolve serious patient scheduling and exam workflow issues, the PACS IT team stepped up to the challenge, creating an effective, low-cost workflow management system.
New open-source software could improve breast cancer management
August 31, 2012 -- MONTREAL - A new software suite is being developed in the Canadian Atlantic provinces that could make patient management and imaging resource use more efficient, not only in that region but in the rest of the world. Information on the system was presented this week at the 2012 World Cancer Congress.
CMS releases final rule for stage 2 meaningful use
August 23, 2012 -- The U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released its final rule for stage 2 meaningful use, which now includes the viewing of medical images as a menu item in the U.S. government's healthcare IT stimulus program.
IT plays major QA role in Canadian prostate brachytherapy
August 6, 2012 -- Prostate brachytherapy offers convenience and lower cost for cancer patients who clinically qualify for the treatment, but the success of patient outcomes relies on maintaining rigorous quality assurance (QA). Healthcare IT makes this task easier, according to an article published online in Brachytherapy.
Vigilance is crucial for radiology quality control
August 3, 2012 -- A quality control management system can yield important benefits for radiology departments. But long-term success requires ongoing monitoring of its use and training, according to research from the University of Maryland Health System.
Radiation exposure extraction tools enable dose monitoring, QA
July 26, 2012 -- The digitization of radiology has made the concept of efficient, cost-effective data mining possible, while the development of informatics tools is making such activity realistic. Two articles in the August issue of Radiology describe tools to extract radiation dose data.
Structured radiology reports reduce error rate
July 20, 2012 -- It's assumed that implementing structured reports in a radiology department has a number of benefits, including consistency and understandability of content, more complete reports, increased workflow efficiency, and fewer errors. But how valid are these assumptions?
ACR Select could lead to national guidelines for ordering exams
July 18, 2012 -- The American College of Radiology (ACR) began publishing evidence-based guidelines relating to the appropriateness of ordering imaging exams almost 20 years ago. This year, its goal is to make the ACR Appropriateness Criteria the de facto national standard by commercializing them as a clinical decision-support system.
EMR improves review of cancer patients' portal images
July 10, 2012 -- Physicians are more likely to view portal images via an electronic medical record (EMR) rather than on x-ray films, potentially leading to better care for patients receiving radiation therapy, according to a study in the July issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology.
Automated radiologist peer review offers workflow benefits
July 3, 2012 -- Installing an automated radiologist peer-review system that is integrated with a PACS network has many benefits, such as improved workflow and data tracking. But radiology departments may still face challenges in getting radiologists to actually use the system.
Despite challenges, ACR Dose Index Registry makes progress
 July 2, 2012 -- What's the average radiation dose of a CT scan performed in the U.S.? How do your exam protocols compare with the norm? If you don't know the answers to these questions, you're not alone. But don't worry: Help is coming in the form of the American College of Radiology's (ACR) Dose Index Registry.
Electronic records tied to fewer malpractice claims
June 27, 2012 -- NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Doctors who start using electronic health records are less likely to get sued than their colleagues who stick with traditional paper records, according to new findings from Massachusetts.
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