Increasing Radiologist’s Efficiency and Productivity

November 13th, 2006 by Sonal Patel

6 Votes | Average: 4.33 out of 5 (6 votes, average: 4.33 out of 5)

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With the instant demands of today’s consumer, and the ability of new technologies to transmit tremendous amounts of data quickly and securely, there has never been a better time for imaging centers to update the way radiology reports are handled and transmitted, and to employ healthcare information technology by adopting informatics.

Automated solutions are now available for many of the applications in this space, such as RIS, PACS, Voice Recognition, EMR, Interface Engine, and Document Capture systems, just to name a few.

If you are still using manual processes, there’s a good chance at least one of your competitors will be employing these available solutions and taking portions of your business away.

If you are attending the upcoming RSNA show, seek out solutions and learn about the value that can be delivered.

The end-goal is to reduce the amount of time and potential frustration required by a radiologist to render an interpretation. The following are just a few of the questions to ask and steps to take that can eliminate inefficiencies in the process to increase productivity:

Verify all the equipment works without errors or delay.
Count the number of clicks.
Is the patient demographic information available along side the images?
Can the radiologist quickly review history of priors?
Does the radiologist have quick access to “helplines”?
Are all the applicaitons effectively interfaced to avoid duplicate entries and excessive searching for information?

There’s an old adage that says something can be “easy as pie”. Unfortunately, this adage does not apply here. Homework and research are required so that you can make an educated decision based on your organization’s radiology workflow and needs. However, once implemented, the impact on your efficiency and productivity will be far more rewarding than any piece of pie.