Radiologists’
Gloria Cascarino Director Director of Medical of Medical Equipment Equipment Planning Planning
prohibitive, purchasers embrace advancements that trend towards miniaturization; generationally, she said, MR and CT gear is trending 15 to 20 percent smaller than legacy scanners. Modular units that allow purchasers to expand on systems provide the option of starting out with a lessexpensive investment that can reach sophisticated modalities like PET-CT in subsequent years and with additional investment. Alternately, hybrid operating rooms allow for the provision of an expanded range of minimally invasive interventional radiology services that hospitals and health systems are looking to provide. “Using image guidance to find and ablate a tumor; brachytherapy, pain management – some of these procedures can be done in an outpatient setting or a short hospital
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stay,” Cascarino said. hosen health organization.” Howard Fleishon, MD, FACR, MMM, Director for Community Radiology Specialists for the Emory Department of Radiology and Imaging Services and Chief of Radiology Services at Emory Johns Creek Hospital in Johns Creek, Georgia, suggests that a practical clinical radiologist’s wish list would contain technologies that improve about eight or nine specific areas of the field. Chief among them is interoperability among EMR vendors for improved data exchange and image-sharing. “Right now the systems are inefficient and frustrating for
and delays in care. Fleishon said consumers should demand the elimination of “vendor silos and proprietary walls.” “At this point in the evolution of radiology, barriers should be considered legacy issues,” he said. “We need to move forward. I think it’s incumbent on anybody who buys equipment to really make demands that interoperability is contingent on sales. There’s technical obsolescence that doesn’t make sense anymore.” Since clinical context is critical to the interpretation of images, Fleishon also believes radiologists need greater point-of-care access to clinical information. Despite the
"When radiologists embrace this future, our practices and departments will be seen as even more critical in integrating care delivery systems." - Dr. Howard Fleishon
everyone,” Fleishon said. “Lack of real interoperability creates barriers, which increases costs, takes additional time, and limits our capabilities.” When access is stymied by interoperability issues, patients can be subjected to repeat imaging
growing availability of electronic medical records, he criticized the user interfaces in which they are contained as being “difficult to navigate and time-consuming.” “There are some tools available, but they are not ubiquitous enough,”
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