Enterprise Imaging

Enterprise imaging brings together all imaging exams, patient data and reports from across a healthcare system into one location to aid efficiency and economy of scale for data storage. This enables immediate access to images and reports any clinical user of the electronic medical record (EMR) across a healthcare system, regardless of location. Enterprise imaging (EI) systems replace the former system of using a variety of disparate, siloed picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), radiology information systems (RIS), and a variety of separate, dedicated workstations and logins to view or post-process different imaging modalities. Often these siloed systems cannot interoperate and cannot easily be connected. Web-based EI systems are becoming the standard across most healthcare systems to incorporate not only radiology, but also cardiology (CVIS), pathology and dozens of other departments to centralize all patient data into one cloud-based data storage and data management system.

Optimizing Coronary CTA Workflow: How We Do It

Coronary CT angiography (CCTA) provides an accurate evaluation of coronary-artery disease and coronary-artery anomalies, and it gives us the ability to evaluate the cardiac chambers, myocardium, and valves. Effective deployment of CCTA service requires optimization of workflow to make this procedure cost effective and practical.

IT as Gatekeeper: Who’s on PACS?

Allowing physicians, whether they are referrers or outside specialists, access to an outpatient radiology practice’s PACS is a subject that is being discussed with increasing frequency among CIOs.

PACS Administrator Success Indicators

What does it take to be a successful PACS administrator? As we work with clients across the country, we are commonly asked this question. The answer lies in both understanding the multiple roles this person is asked to play and the resources that will be available to support him or her.

Quick Tips to Maximize your PACS Site Visit

Selecting a PACS vendor is a long process requiring a significant amount of due diligence. Unfortunately, after the research, vendor demonstrations, and analysis of lengthy RFP responses, fatigue often sets in. As a result, one of the concluding, valuable steps—the PACS site visit—is often skipped or minimized. PACS site visits, however, if planned

Around the web

The patient, who was being cared for in the ICU, was not accompanied or monitored by nursing staff during his exam, despite being sedated.

The nuclear imaging isotope shortage of molybdenum-99 may be over now that the sidelined reactor is restarting. ASNC's president says PET and new SPECT technologies helped cardiac imaging labs better weather the storm.

CMS has more than doubled the CCTA payment rate from $175 to $357.13. The move, expected to have a significant impact on the utilization of cardiac CT, received immediate praise from imaging specialists.