WSJ Highlights RSNA’s Image Share Efforts

The Wall Street Journal took a break from writing about all that is wrong with the economics of health care delivery to highlight something that is right — the efforts of radiologists to reduce duplicate scans through image sharing and make it easier for patients to get second opinions. Telling the story of the Gibson family’s frightening ordeal when daughter Piper suffered a mini stroke as a 5 year old, the Wall Street Journal explained how important image sharing is to both reducing repeat scanning and facilitating needed second opinions. Piper was treated in Oklahoma after her family arranged for a second opinion on her brain MRI from a specialist in Boston through the LifeImage image-sharing service. "This is all about giving patients control of their health information and engaging them in their own care," the Wall Street Journal quoted David Mendelson, director of radiology-information systems at Mount Sinai and principal investigator for the Radiological Society of North America’s Image Share as saying. The RSNA, under contract with the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, is overseeing the Image Share project.Read the Wall Street Journal story and listen to its Podcast here. (Subscription required.)