From the January 2017 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Quality standards for reporting also include:
• Use of standardized nomenclature for reporting types of CT studies. Use of appropriate measurement standards for stenosis in carotid studies. Documentation that a search was performed for prior CT studies, and reporting the number of prior CT and nuclear cardiology studies in CT and nuclear cardiology reports. Sharing standards require that CT and other advanced imaging studies are made available to physicians from non-network and unaffiliated institutions.
Though not required by regulation, substantial improvements can be made in radiology reports that may become qualified for bonuses under the MIPS practice-based improvement activities for enhanced quality and use of resources. Reports that include multimedia, structured and quantitative data, comparisons to prior studies, real-time collaborative tools and the ability of referring physicians to rate the report can significantly enhance patient care. Physicians can use hyperlinks from the report to instantly view live key images or significant findings. Studies by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found that radiologists and oncologists preferred having hyperlinks to key data in reports and that the use of quantitative interactive reports saved time for oncologists. Facilities that offer multimedia reporting also could gain increased referrals from physicians, according to a study conducted by the Emory University School of Medicine. The U.S. cannot support its current level of health care spending. It is therefore in the best interest of health care payers, providers and consumers to work together to create new guidelines that determine appropriate use of imaging studies, and implement changes that meet regulatory mandates and enhance patient care.
About the author: Menashe Benjamin, Ph.D., is Carestream’s chief technology officer for health care IT.Back to HCB News
