2008 October

While the U.S. and world economies have us distracted, concerned and pensive these days, the business priorities of healthcare imaging and IT leaders in 2008 are clearpatients, efficiency and building revenue are top of mind.

Heart disease has been the leading cause of death in the United States for the past 80 years and is a major cause of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cardiology departments across the United States are positioned at a precipice, staring at an array of challenges: an aging population, epidemics of obesity and diabetes, increased competition and a constant crunch for qualified staff.

Deploying PACS beyond the physical and virtual walls of the radiology department or imaging center, regardless of size, provides the opportunity to extend beyond the reach of diagnostic imaging to a broader range of caregivers and enabling improved efficiencies, cost savings and better patient care.

Since CD and DVD storage technology entered the medical imaging arena, they have provided a simple way to eliminate expensive film costs by archiving and distributing medical images among patients and physicians. What was previously just a market for simple archival and distribution seems to be transitioning into something more as many vendors are starting to offer image management solutions for static and dynamic images, adding accompanying educational supplemental materials on CD, DVD and even flash drives, to create a more complete, portable patient record.

Widespread health IT adoption in the United States is lagging, despite the promise of EMRs to reduce medical errors, improve quality of care, and overall cost of healthcare. While radiology is already reaping the rewards of speech recognition, many feel the technology holds the key for increased EMR utilization as well.

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