by
Carol Ko, Staff Writer | February 20, 2014
From the January/February 2014 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
For PACS to remain desirable, the need to play well with mobile devices is a must. This sentiment is backed by several surveys over the past year that have indicated an increased use of mobile devices by medical professionals. The Manhattan Research survey, for example, found that 62 percent of physicians use mobile devices in their daily practice, doubling the rate since 2011. According to a recent HIMSS survey, three-fourths of responding organizations said they would use more mobile devices in the future.
The doctor’s doctor
Back in the day, before PACS were a twinkle in anyone’s eye, old-timers recall that the radiology department was often the busiest in the hospital. Referring physicians would come in and talk to radiologists about the images performed the day before, working as a team to discuss the best approach toward treating a tumor, whether it was surgery, radiation therapy, or another treatment.
“There was a lively discussion between radiologists and referring physicians. Radiologist would be the doctor’s to help determine the treatment of the patient,” says Primo.
With the advent of PACS-centered workflow, radiologists rarely have time to talk with referring physicians — a phenomenon which, according to many critics, has inadvertently put the profession under threat by making it virtually invisible to the rest of the hospital. It’s easier to outsource imaging to a remote teleradiology company when radiologists rarely interact with the rest of the hospital face-to-face, they argue.
Accordingly, radiologists such as Paul Chang, chair of radiology informatics at the University of Chicago Medical Center, propose a different approach: what experts are deeming Imaging 3.0.This approach attempts to change the radiology paradigm from volume-based imaging to value-based imaging.
In this new model, radiologists act as advisers for referring physicians, steering them away from unnecessary scans. “If a patient comes in with abdominal pain, the referring physicians shouldn’t ask for a CT scan. Here is where the radiologist can suggest an ultrasound scan, which is able to identify potential problems in the gallbladder, a fatty liver, hernia, and so on and then maybe when you have the results, that may lead you to do the next step which could be either a CT scan, or therapy,” says Primo.
PACS with enhanced interoperability plays a big role in strengthening partnerships between referring physicians and radiologists, since a more integrated image archiving system and workstation will enable radiologists to connect with patients and collaborate with other physicians.
