This storyboard presentation will also describe a bonus: The system fulfills a meaningful use requirement for stage 1 of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) Act.

At MD Anderson, physicians placing orders for diagnostic imaging exams expect their radiologist colleagues to assess requests and select the best exam and protocol to meet the complex needs of cancer patients. The radiology department uses numerous protocols.

About three years ago, the radiology department implemented an internally developed order-entry system. When a radiologist needs to select and log a protocol into the RIS and the electronic medical record, the patient's clinical history, allergy history, and recent lab values are displayed. The radiologist is offered a menu selection of exam protocol choices and also oral and intravenous contrast choices.

Presenter Dr. Kevin McEnery, a professor of radiology, will discuss the additional benefits of the CPOE system. These include delivery of a formal medication order to the pharmacy department, and formal documentation of this information automatically captured and integrated into the patient's medical record. The system provides an electronic collaboration method for radiologic technologists and nurses to clarify orders and examination parameters. Analysis and quality assurance review are facilitated by the database of the CPOE system.

Although many hospital radiology departments do not have the same number of exam protocols as MD Anderson Cancer Center, a similar CPOE system would still offer tangible quality assurance benefits, not to mention fulfilling the HITECH Act's meaningful use requirement, McEnery told AuntMinnie.com.