PACS Voice Recognition, Reporting Will Be Focus of SIIM Talk
SAN DIEGO – A successful project involving the voice recognition and other automated reporting features of a radiology PACS will be the subject of a presentation at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) annual conference.
The presentation will show how full use of the automated reporting capability of the DR Systems PACS was combined with enhancement of the hospital’s IT network to substantially improve both radiologist efficiency and service to referring physicians. The talk, by Jeff Breedlove, R.T., PACS Administrator at Haywood Regional Medical Center (HRMC) in Clyde, N.C., will also outline the benefits for patients and the hospital itself.
After implementing its DR Systems PACS in August 2004, HRMC worked with its radiologists to take maximum advantage of its voice recognition feature (VR) instead of using conventional dictation and transcription. Use of voice recognition grew to the point that today VR is employed 100 percent of the time for all imaging modalities except mammography, which is not yet digital. Very few healthcare facilities in the country have been able to achieve comparable VR use.
The expansive use of VR enabled HRMC to wring the full potential from the PACS’ other automated reporting features, including printing, faxing, and Web distribution of reports. Haywood also dramatically improved turnaround times (TAT) for radiology reports. With traditional dictation and transcription, radiology report TAT had been 12-48 hours. After automated reporting became the standard protocol, the average TAT for written versions of radiologists' reports and interpretations dropped dramatically to 13-15 minutes.
Indeed, TAT is now so fast that the report and images are often waiting for the emergency room physician by the time the patient returns to the ER from the exam room.
HRMC also upgraded its IT network’s cables and switches, so that the large files created by digital imaging could move more quickly through the system. The upgrade made it possible for the PACS to perform at its intended level. In addition, the hospital installed a new digital archive system in late 2006 and interfaced it with the PACS to speed restoration times of archived imaging studies.
As a result, cases on the old network that used to take from 10-20 seconds to be read-ready now take only 2-3 seconds. Restores on the PACS that used to take 6-10 minutes now average about one minute to be read-ready.
Unlike HRMC, many hospitals that install PACS fail to do the IT upgrades that maximize PACS performance.
Haywood’s project has created multiple benefits for referring doctors, patients, radiologists, and HRMC itself, according to PACS administrator Breedlove:
Referring physicians are more productive and efficient because they get exam results in a timely manner without having to call the radiologist
Patients get faster diagnosis and treatment, which can be crucial in an emergency situation
Radiologists have faster access to both current and prior exams, which speeds the reading andreporting process
Radiologists are rarely interrupted by referring physicians calling about results
HRMC is more likely to get referrals because referring physicians are pleased by the service it offers
The SIIM conference will be held June 7-10 at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, R.I. Breedlove’s presentation will be given in Ballroom C from 3:30-5:00 P.M.
About DR Systems, Inc.
DR Systems, Inc. is the leading independent provider of medical imaging and information systems for diagnostic imaging centers and hospitals. For 15 years, the company has helped over 500 hospitals and imaging center sites improve the management of patient information, eliminate film costs, and increase workflow speed, all while providing better clinical quality and patient care.
The company’s Unity RIS-PACS integrates numerous tools to improve financial performance and productivity, including: Web-based scheduling, image, report and audio clip distribution; patented, automated hanging protocols for radiologists; and the report format preferences of individual referring physicians.
In addition to being named the top healthcare IT company and “Best in KLAS” PACS vendor for 2006, DR Systems was rated the #1 PACS vendor in the “KLAS PACS-Acute Care 2006 Report.” MD Buyline rated the company as the #1 PACS vendor for six consecutive quarters.
For more information, call 800-794-5955 or visit www.dominator.com.
