As more and more healthcare enterprises deploy and expand EMRs, the issue of clinical image access within the EMR presents itself. For radiologists and referring physicians alike, image access in the EMR can be a game-changerboosting clinical collaboration, enhancing patient education and care and shaving minutes from patient encounters throughout the day.
A just-published study in the Journal of American College of Radiology shows that Medicare now pays non-radiologists more for noninvasive diagnostic imaging than radiologists, with non-rads $4.81 billion in discretionary noninvasive diagnostic imaging earnings outpacing radiologists $4.65 billion in 2008.
In the last few years, surgical displays have transformed surgical procedures by enhancing visualization and precision and enabling minimally invasive procedures, which, in turn, can cut recovery time, length of stay, costs and infection rates.
The surge in imaging study volume and pursuit of quality has yielded both tremendous benefits and contentious repercussions for patients, providers and payors. But behind the scenes, IT leadership is working on a cardinal issuewhere to store the ballooning number of studies and allow quick recall when needed.
Healthcare systems and radiology practices are beginning to tap into health information exchanges (HIEs), with some exchanging HIEs prized peacock: images. Early adopters are fueling growth, boosting efficiency and cutting costs as well as discovering the value of collaboration by embracing data sharing among competitors.
With vendors inking partnerships and developing new tools to bring pathology out of the dark ages and experts pegging the integration of radiology and pathology as one of the top opportunities for imaging, digital pathology may be imagings next frontier. This month, Health Imaging & IT chatted with Paul Chang, MD, professor and vice chair of radiology informatics and medical director of pathology informatics at University of Chicago, who offers insights into pathology workflow.
