The British Columbia Ministry of Health has selected McKesson QICS for its radiologist peer review initiative. As part of its ongoing quality improvement program, the company said that the Ministry of Health will use its system in a pilot to help modernize medical imaging processes and improve quality of care.

The Vancouver Island Health Authority will be the first to roll out McKesson’s system as part of the initial phase of the program, which includes more than 200 radiologists. In later stages, this provincial project will involve radiologists reviewing more than 3.5 million exams conducted annually.

McKesson QICS for Radiologist Peer Review allows organizations to monitor the imaging review process, and integrates with multiple PACS to support cross-facility peer review. The pilot will demonstrate the capability for a case that is initially read by a radiologist at one health authority to be peer-reviewed anonymously by a radiologist located in a different location and on a separate PACS.

“Conducting peer review of radiologist reports is challenging, particularly across distinct infrastructures, hospital systems and PACS we have throughout our province,” said John Mathieson, MD, medical director, medical imaging, Vancouver Island Health Authority.

McKesson QICS for Radiologist Peer Review offers reviews in an automated regulatory compliant system, and the system’s rules engine selects the exams to be reviewed and routes them to the appropriate radiologist based on subspecialty. In the past, a peer review would occur days or weeks after a radiologist writes a report. With McKesson QICS for Radiologist Peer Review, the review can occur before the radiology report is sent to the ordering physician, according to the Atlanta-based vendor.