That old saying "jack of all trades, master of none" can be applied to medical imaging. Even the bright minds that make up the radiology workforce need focused training and years of specific experience in order to understand all the intricacies of the profession, and there's one area in particular where specialized expertise is particularly valuable: mammography.
Industry watchers seemed intrigued but not especially surprised when Konica Minolta Medical Imaging announced its acquisition of 100 plus-employee Viztek in early October. The response was understandable, as the fusing was equal parts bold and sensible.
According to CMS's latest attestation data, some 4,720 unique diagnostic radiologists have at least one year of participation in Stage 1 or Stage 2 Meaningful Use under their belts. This cohort has made around 9,000 unique attestations since 2011, showing quantifiable and clinically significant use of certified EHR technology.
When Keyur Sathe, MHA, decided to put his nearly two decades of healthcare leadership and entrepreneurialism to work in a bold new venture—one that would, in his words, help “bend the arc of healthcare” toward greater value—he didn’t have to look far for inspiration.
Heading up the Johns Hopkins Medicine Technology Innovation Center, Gorkem Sevinc, MSE, CIIP, focuses the bulk of his attention on partnering with clinical and research personnel within Hopkins Medicine to collaboratively build innovative Health IT tools. Software development, IT infrastructure, workflow and collaboration tools are all part of his purview.
Workflow. Efficiency. The terms are bounced around every day in healthcare. But when it comes to the productivity and profitability of your radiologists and the department as a whole, the right PACS makes all the difference. Getting comfortable with a system can literally cost you hundreds of thousands, if not more.
