Imaging Informatics | December 2018

As radiologists continue to emphasize demonstrating their value to patient care, there has been a push to standardize the language used in radiology reports. According to a new commentary published in Academic Radiology, however, those in favor of such a shift could end up regretting it.

Radiologist Paul Chang, MD, medical director of enterprise imaging at the University of Chicago, began his presentation Tuesday, Nov. 27, at RSNA 2018 by saying radiologists were in need of a reality check when it comes to artificial intelligence (AI).

Patient information in imaging orders sent via electronic health records (EHRs) is less complete and less reliable than that found in physician notes on the same patient in the same EHR.

Using clinical decision support (CDS) to send primary care providers (PCPs) personalized report cards evaluating their ordering decisions can reduce outpatient lumbar spine (LS) MRI orders for lower back pain (LBP), according to a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Diagnostic certainty phrases (DCPs) are common in radiology reports, helping the radiologist convey certainty in an imaging finding or its clinical significance. According to a new study published in Academic Radiology, however, radiologists use a wide variety of DCPs, and reducing this variation could improve the overall quality of radiology reports.

Point-of-care photographs obtained at the same time as medical imaging studies can be helpful for radiology providers. According to a new perspective piece published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, however, specialists should still make sure they do their homework before using such photographs in their practice.

Imaging clinical decision support has long been widely considered a “when, not if” technology. But the smart money says to hold off at least a while longer before declaring the coast completely clear. What’s the holdup? In a word, complexity.