Improve Your TAT with HL7
April 12th, 2007 by Jon Mertz
(11 votes, average: 4.91 out of 5)
Loading ...Posted in Radiology Workflow, Healthcare Integration
Turn Around Time or TAT. An important concept for many radiology practices or any healthcare institution.
An article entitled Are Your Physicians Happy? appeared in RT Image in 2004. Granted, it was several years ago, but the article highlights the importance of understanding key radiology processes, knowing the cycle time of each process, and identifying the “weak” areas. The workflow discussion and approach is still valid today, especially if the objective is to improve TAT.
What has changed today is that many radiology practices and diagnostic imaging centers have begun to realize how the HL7 standard and interface engine solutions can take TAT to the next level of healthcare integration.
We wrote a white paper entitled Rethinking Radiology Workflow which illustrates how steps in a process can be automated and supported by an HL7 interface engine with the objective of improving quality, service, cycle time, and TAT. In fact, imaging centers like Radiology Ltd. have achieved improved cycle times in several of their key workflows (e.g., delivering patient reports within hours).
The points in all of this are simple:
- Understanding the key activities, steps, and metrics in your radiology processes is still essential today, just as it was in 2004. In fact, it may be more important.
- Enabling the workflow has improved with HL7 and interface engine solutions.
- Are your physicians happy? Delivering better TAT will assist in strengthening physician relationships and expanding your referring physician community. An even more important concept in today’s competitive and changing market.
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