Case Studies

The imaging division at John Muir Health in California’s Contra Costa County has been supplying topnotch image-handling capabilities to end users located across the system’s sprawling family tree—three hospitals, seven outpatient imaging centers, a 1,000-plus physician network and a dozen or so sites providing outpatient, urgent-care and surgery services—since 2001. That’s when Sectra PACS entered the picture for the Walnut Creek-based organization.

In our complex, multi-site tertiary care imaging department our challenge is to gather data about our imaging operations and create insights from it to help us make better business decisions, streamline operations and optimize access to care. 

The pressure was on to make an important purchase decision, and fast. Willapa Harbor Hospital in South Bend, Washington, had just seen its aging mammography machine reach the point of no repair.

The radiology department at Ashley County Medical Center (ACMC), a 33-bed critical access hospital in Crossett, Arkansas, has always made dose management a top priority.

Lisa Quamme, breast health coordinator and senior radiology technologist at Northpoint Health and Wellness Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, spoke to Radiology Business about how the system has improved their mammography screening.

Chris Tomlinson, MBA, CRA, FAHRA, of CHOP and RACH envisions a large pediatric radiology network where everyone is connected and imaging results can easily be shared in seconds.

For over 40 consecutive quarters—from the mid-2000s to 2016—Konica Minolta Healthcare Americas has been ranked as the #1 Computed Radiography (CR) manufacturer for customer satisfaction by MD Buyline, an independent organization that provides hospitals and health systems with evidence-based research and consulting services to advise hospitals on critical purchasing decisions.

Countless studies have shown 3D mammography can reduce false positives and increases cancer detection in women with dense breasts, it creates a better overall patient experience, and insurance companies are finally beginning to cover costs associated with 3D mammograms.

The growing influence of artificial intelligence and deep learning in healthcare has led some writers to theorize that certain specialties, including radiology, would soon be “replaced” by machines.

When the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016, or Omnibus Bill, was passed late last year, it included text that requires imaging providers to start using DR.

One of the hottest topics in today’s medical imaging community is the transition from computed radiography (CR) to digital radiography (DR).

Radiation dose is one of the top concerns in imaging today, and since younger patients are the most vulnerable, reducing dose in pediatric imaging is especially important.