Client bulletin Medica Memo
August 2024
Shared in commericial confidence
Welcome and introduction
From Ben Garlick, Head of Commercial
Hello everyone,
We are now well into 2024 and a great deal has happened since our last bulletin, including us reaching our 20th year. To recognise this, we held an event in London on 26th June where we shared the results of our most recent study in a whitepaper and external speakers shared their views on the role of AI in radiology’s evolution.
2024 is a year of very intentional change, investment, and innovation for us - we have a number of important projects underway but behind them all is the fundamental purpose to make sure teleradiology works for you and your department. And not just now, but for the longer term. They will make a direct, positive and tangible difference to you and the services we provide.
We are doing this by using scale, experience (both internal and from key partner organisations), technology and most importantly, collaboration with departments and networks across radiology and pathology.
In this issue we will cover updates on the following key areas:
Medconnect™ – HL7 report delivery with full access to wider patient information and prior reports
Teleradiology+ – funded resource for you to reduce administration and enhance service
Rapid Elective – new 24hr TAT reporting service
MedPath™ – telepathology reporting, with MDT support crossover to teleradiology
JCA Seminars – sharing our new Sept - Dec course programme and your 30% discount offer
Ben Garlick
Head of Commerical, UK
Meet the team
North
Ben Geddes, Commercial Lead
Laura Moore, Account Manager
Midlands
Andy Bayliss, Business Development Manager
James Williams, Account Manager
South West
Andy Bulpett, Commercial Lead
Debbie Hallam, Account Manager
South East
Jon Gibbons, Commercial Lead
Harry Crist-Jeal, Account Manager
Teleradiology+
Morwenna Haslam, Teleradiology
Integrations Manager - UK
MedPath™ - Digital Pathology
Justin Lillycrop, Business Development Manager, UK
Services overview
The Elective service continues to perform at over 95% SLA compliance, and capacity has grown so successfully that we are moving to an ‘unlimited send’ footing for certain types of work. This should help remove to-and-fro communication and save you time, enabling you to allocate faster and with confidence in reporting turnaround times.
The NightHawk™ service has seen significant growth, but we are aware that this is causing spikes in the time taken to answer calls, particularly over weekends. Please be assured that significant work is underway to ensure good service level at all times.
We have also launched a new serviceRapid Elective, providing elective general and subspecialist reporting within 24 hours:
• 24hr turnaround time 7 days a week
• Any elective/routine exam across PF, CT and MR
• Simple automated Q/R OR ‘push’ sending method, with intelligent access to prior imaging without onus on hospital staff
• Dedicated “oncology24” pathway for 2ww patients
• Direct ‘referrer query’ contact number on all reports, reducing burden on local radiologists
• Specialist 24hr reporting rostered specifically to match your clinics
Please contact our support team or your account manager if you would like more detailed information on any of our services.
Medica services:
NightHawk™ Emergency reporting 24/7
Elective
Reporting to manage your key performance targets
Rapid Elective
General and subspecialist reporting within 24 hours
SameDay
Prioritised reporting for urgent scans
Specialist
Clinically specialised reporting
Teleradiology+
A human-led, flexible and fully funded solution to support your department
MedPath™ Emergency reporting 24/7
Introducing you to Teleradiology+
Introducing Teleradiology+
Teleradiology+ is a human-led, highly flexible, fully funded development designed to transform workflows and optimise resources providing sustainable positive long-term change.
We look forward to getting in touch with you over the coming months and working together to find the right solution for your individual challenges and how to best support your teleradiology requirements.
We recognise some common radiology challenges:
• Administrative and resource limitations associated with teleradiology solutions
• Rising diagnostic demand that requires flexible reporting solutions
• Department spend exceeding budget
Our solution:
In phase 1, we will be giving you time back within your department to focus on other important tasks.
In phase 2, we will be offering a scalable managed service across a trust or imaging network to provide advanced capacity and demand modelling, manage outsourcing at
scale. increase combined capacity through effective home reporting and reducing outsourcing.
• Tailored review and subsequent innovation of workflows led by a clinically experienced integrations manager
• Identify ways to deliver real-time positive impact in your day-to-day tasks
• Provision of additional Medica resource to undertake the identified workflows in partnership with your wider team to reduce administration of teleradiology tasks
Giving you tangible benefits – targeting tasks that:
• Release your team’s time for other patient priorities
• Improve overall scan to report times
• Operate effective reporting, capacity and demand management and prioritisation
• Provide managed allocation and scheduling
• Focus on working together to decrease overall elective outsourcing spend
• Can expand to cover and support an entire imaging network
Clinical Governance & Audit
Medica is committed to the provision of a high quality teleradiology service underpinned by excellence in governance.
That excellence extends to the collaborative approach with our clients when things go wrong. The governance and legal teams are here to provide any advice and guidance as well as orchestrating any reporter/company responses that are required to an event – be that legal, coroner, SUI, SI, PSIRF, RCA, discrepancy.
We have a detailed clinical quality assurance process to monitor the standard of radiology and pathology reporting. We use a unique system, developed by Medica’s outstanding clinical leadership team and a secure audit management system, InSight™, which Medica has also developed in-house to support the process.
Clinical audits of radiology and pathology reporting are based upon a continuous fixed percentage sample of each reporter’s output. The analysis of discrepancies, both from the rolling audit and cases reported by the referring hospitals, are reviewed by trained and experienced auditors.
What you can expect with Medica:
• Unique in-house system
• Experienced clinical oversight
• Tailored feedback
• External auditing
Dr Rob Lavis Chief Medical Officer and Responsible Officer
NightHawk™ portal
Emergency referrals and examinations are tracked through our dynamic workflow management system – The NightHawk™ portal. Our NightHawk™ portal is available 24/7. This allows radiographers access to our NightHawk™ service, day or night, without the need to call our switchboard.
Introducing you to MedConnect™
We are pleased to announce that Medica has launched MedConnect™, the new reporting platform for Medica.
What is MedConnect™?
MedConnect™ has been introduced to support inbound and outbound HL7 messaging, which allows a Medica reporter to report for multiple client sites with a single log on.
A dedicated project team here at Medica was responsible for designing and implementing MedConnect™ to ensure our reporters continue to have access to all relevant radiology history at the time of reporting, but without the need to log into each of our client RIS’s individually. It has been a challenging but hugely rewarding project, which fundamentally improves the way Medica works with our clients, reducing admin overheads and improving turnaround times.
Pilots with clients are now underway and plans are underway to roll out to all our clients during 2024 and early 2025.
For more information, please visit our technology page on our website.
Transformative pathology reporting
Medica marks 20 year milestone with successful launch of MedPath™, a fast and effective pathologist-led histopathology scanning and reporting service.
Here’s how we can help:
Robust capacity:
With a weekly capacity of 9,000 slides, we ensure seamless transportation of glass specimens to our facility via our dedicated courier service or your preferred transport solution. We currently work to a 5 day turnaround time.
Digital pathologists:
Our network of GMC registered pathologists means we can digitise slides swiftly to deliver accurate reports electronically direct in to your LIMs onsite, with no additional administration.
Simple and flexible solutions:
Whether you’re embarking on your digital pathology journey or seeking immediate assistance, our MedPath™ reporting service ensures rapid implementation, often within weeks, minimising IT resource requirements and maximising efficiency. Simple compliant routes to market including direct award.
Proven track record:
Building on Medica’s 20 year history as the largest provider of teleradiology reporting capacity in the UK, serving over 50% of NHS Trusts, we bring extensive experience in partnership working and solutions management. We understand the digital challenges you face.
Tailored support:
Worried about impending digital upgrades? We collaborate closely with you to devise simple yet robust connectivity solutions, ensuring seamless operations ultimately improving turnaround times.
Already a client:
10% discount on MedPath™ pricing available for clients who use both telepathology and teleradiology services.
If you’re facing challenges with histopathology reporting, whether it’s traditional glass slides or digital images, please reach out to us for an informal discussion. We can explore possibilities together and demonstrate how quickly MedPath™ can become your trusted partner, offering solutions ranging from basic glass activities to comprehensive digital solutions, including virtual MDT cover.
MedPath™ has immediate glass slide reporting capacity available.
Get in touch today: pathology@medica.co.uk
Find out more: www.medica.co.uk/pathology
Features include:
Maximum efficiency
Fast, flexible and scalable
Identifying and solving challenges ahead of time
Tailored to you and your success
Blog: Data-driven insights: The role of AI in radiology’s evolution
With Dr Rob Lavis, Chief Medical Officer and Responsible Officer
25 years on from my first attendance at the Royal College of Surgeons to sit my Membership exam viva, I had the pleasure of chairing the launch of Medica’s joint white paper with Qure.ai in that very same venue!
25 years ago I was handed an IVU to comment on as a surgical SHO in my MRCS exam. In Medica’s 20th year, I was privileged to chair an eminent panel of radiology AI specialists discussing topics from research to ethics. What a contrast!
The Medica and Qure.ai white paper was presented by Surabhi Srivastava from Qure.ai. 1,315 non contrast CT Head studies with acute presentation histories were analysed by the qER algorithm with feedback on performance by radiologists in terms of true or false positive/ negative and classification of any haemorrhage (SDH, IPH, EDH, SAH). 112 studies were classified as showing acute haemorrhage. Overall agreement between the radiologists and the algorithm was seen in 93.5% of cases with a negative percent agreement of 94.3%. 9 of the 16 false negative cases related to subtle subarachnoid haemorrhage. The commonest cause of a false positive study was misinterpretation of movement artefact.
The qER algorithm will continue to be used as a bleed detection and prioritisation tool as Medica deploy further algorithms for which qER has accreditation. The performance data suggest that it is performing at a level similar to a human expert, but with specific weaknesses that need to be recognised by users.
Dr Neelan Das described an epic 4-year hike to the top of his AI Everest - from concept to deployment and assessment in the real world. He guided us through the essential five steps to success so that fast followers only have to climb Helvellyn!
Those steps are: identifying a specific need that an algorithm could answer (as opposed to choosing an algorithm and fitting it to your system) engaging all stakeholders, identifying goals, pre-deployment validation of an algorithm and go live/surveillance.
He showed the qXR CXR tool from Qure to have a high sensitivity of 0.93 but a specificity of .51. Neelan noted that this would mean that in those cases identified as normal by the algorithm, 9% would actually be abnormal. Knowing how an algorithm behaves in your population is mandatory in order for radiologists and clinicians to put it in context.
Dr Sarim Ather spoke of his experience in the Research and Development aspects of AI and
the importance of post deployment monitoring. Whilst careful choice of a tool is paramount, it must be assessed in the intended environment in order to assure users of reproducibility and performance. Sarim also highlighted the potential for AI tools to undertake healthcare screening on studies including osteoporosis assessment and coronary artery calcification.
In a captivating session Dr Amrita Kumar took us on a tour through the principles of a comprehensive governance framework in which to wrap AI deployment. From stakeholder engagement, through steering group oversight and monitoring, to public engagement and ethical considerations and staff training all facets need to be considered. One key message was that a tool should be robust. The characteristic of robustness in AI means that an algorithm must recognise when it is challenged with incorrect data without ‘falling over’, allowing continued service.
Following the keynote presentations Andrew Cannon, Medica CEO chaired a lively Q&A session exploring a wide range of topics. The panel explored the issues of potential legal challenges to the use of AI outputs and the future of autonomous AI tool reporting. There is no formal legal answer yet on the subject of liability related to an algorithm missing a pathology or a radiologist overruling an AI flagged finding as a false positive. We will watch this space with interest. There are legislative measures in the form of IRMER (2017) in place currently that prevent autonomous AI radiology reporting but this could change in the future. The audience challenged the panel for a timeline of when it would happen. The answers were interesting and ranged from ‘why should it not happen now if it is acceptable to have some X-rays unreported/auto reported’ to somewhere in the region of three to five years. It was also pointed out by the panel that we use a human as the gold standard with which to compare AI. I will leave you to consider whether that is a legitimate standpoint!
Thank you to the Medica team for arranging a thought-provoking evening, to Qure.ai for their support in generating the white paper, to our speakers for some excellent insights into their AI experience and to the audience for joining us and participating in a fantastic evening.
Download a copy of the Whitepaper and watch the content from the event here
JCA Seminars design and deliver a wide range of CME and CPD courses, seminars and hands-on interactive events that take place at various locations across the UK, online and internationally. Covering many modalities including CT, MR, Ultrasound and Nuclear Medicine, JCA Seminars are hosting a multitude of upcoming courses in various speciality areas including;
Introduction to Arthritis
2 Sept, live online/on-demand
Paediatric Imaging
9-10 Sept, live online/on-demand
Gynae Imaging
23 Sept, live online/on-demand
Preparing to be a Consultant: 7 Useful Steps
24 Sept, live online/on-demand
CT Colonography for Radiologists
30 Sept - 01 Oct, live online/on-demand
MRI for MRI Radiographers
9-10 Oct, Bristol
Advanced MSK X-Ray Interpretation
14-15 Oct, live online/on-demand
Cardiac MRI for Radiographers
17-18 Oct, live online/on-demand
MSK Ultrasound Hands-on Course
04-08 Nov, Cambridge
Differentials in Neuroradiology CPD Course for Radiologists in Training
11 Nov, Manchester
Cardiac CT for Radiographers
15 Nov, live online/on-demand
Cardiac CT Level 1/2
18-22 Nov, Essex
Head and Neck Imaging
20 Nov, live online/on-demand
Cardiac MRI Level 1
25 Nov, live online/on-demand
Preparing to be an Consultant
26 Nov, live online/on-demand
Cardiac MRI Case Review
27 Nov, Manchester
AI in Healthcare
28-29 Nov, live online/on-demand
Chest X-Ray Intepretation
2 Dec, live online/on-demand
CT Colonography for Radiologists 16-17 Dec, live online/on-demand
If you are interested in any of the discounted rates, please contact JCA Seminars at courseenquiries@jcaseminars.com and a member of the team will get back to you.
For 2024 courses visit: www.jcaseminars.com or click on any of the links above to take you directly to the course.
Summer offer - 30% off all 2024 courses
We are delighted to share a special summer offer for JCA Seminars.
For a limited time during August only, we are offering an exclusive 30% discount on all online and face-to-face courses through our partner JCA Seminars. The offer is valid on all 2024 courses. This is the perfect opportunity to secure an educational event and gain CPD/CME for your professional development.
Full details of the courses can be found on www.jcaseminars.com/courses, just use code ‘JCASUMMER30’. There are courses available to support a wide range of healthcare professionals including radiologists, cardiologists, registrars, and radiographers and all are CPD accredited.
To qualify for the offer, all courses must be booked by 31.08.24.
Introducing..
The new JCA Seminars website
We’ve recently updated our JCA Seminars website to provide a better user experience, including:
• A fresh, modern look
• Enhanced course search and specialty filtering
• Comprehensive course details in one place
• Detailed speaker profiles and biographies
• A new application portal for prospective speakers
www.jcaseminars.com
Contact us
Contacting Medica should be easy and we want to keep it that way. Our teams are ready to help, whatever the topic.
Head office
Please contact us for any service or support queries. We are here to help 24/7/365. You can also get hold of any of our teams via this number and select the relevant option.
033 33 111 000
NightHawk™ and SameDay services
NightHawk™ portal - our workflow management system for all NightHawk™ referrals and exams
Operational queries related to NightHawk™ and SameDay services, including cover time changes, capacity requests for acute and SameDay cases, and addressing service queries concerning performance: acutedemand@medica.co.uk
Available 24/7 to address referrer or radiographer queries and provide access to our reporting or administrative teams.
0333 010 0999 (Primary)
0333 311 1999 (Secondary)
Support
Any urgent matters outside of working hours: support@medica.co.uk
Elective service and InSight portal
Our client relations team are ready to help with:
• Operational queries related to Elective and Specialist services, including requests for additional reporting and queries over specific exams
• InSight new account requests, and account distribution changes for clinical communications
• NightHawk™ portal new account requests or changes
Access InSight for all clinical discrepancies and queries. clientrelations@medica.co.uk
Clinical governance
All clinical matters, including changes to NightHawk™ referral/justification protocols (discrepancies and queries should be raised via InSight): clinical@medica.co.uk
Finance
Any finance, billing or invoicing queries: controller@medica.co.uk
Data protection
Contact our data protection officer for any data protection or information governance queries: dpo@medica.co.uk
Sales
Any enquiries about new and existing services: sales@medica.co.uk
Feedback/complaints
Feedback and complaints on any matter. These are investigated formally and responded to within 28 days. feedback@medica.co.uk
Please contact your account manager for contractual or commercial queries, or as a point of escalation if the matter isn’t resolved by our dedicated teams. If we are not available, please contact accman@medica.co.uk or info@medica.co.uk