[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2078,"blockType":{"name":"core\/freeform","keywords":[],"attributes":{"content":{"type":"string","source":"raw"},"lock":{"type":"object"}},"providesContext":[],"usesContext":[],"selectors":[],"supports":{"className":false,"customClassName":false,"reusable":false},"styles":[],"variations":[],"apiVersion":3,"title":"Classic","description":"Use the classic WordPress editor.","category":"text"},"originalContent":"Patient interaction and the interpretation of radiological images historically haven\u2019t mixed. Traditionally, radiologists have interpreted images and dictated reports, and patients\u2019 physicians subsequently shared the bad or good news with them.

Value-based care and the availability of information technology now is enabling imaging professionals to have more opportunities to interact directly with patients, opening new opportunities for radiologists to become active participants in the care process.

Radiologists need to seize the opportunity, said Geraldine McGinty, MD, newly elected chair of the board of directors for the American College of Radiology, who spoke at last week\u2019s annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.

Enabling imaging professionals to interact with patients will become more important as the industry transitions to value-based care and patients increasingly take an active role in making care decisions, says McGinty, a faculty member at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she serves as chief strategy officer for the Weill Cornell Physician Organization.

Also See:<\/b> Enterprise imaging plan could unite radiology and pathology<\/a>

In value-based care approaches, \u201cwe need to put our patients in the center,\u201d McGinty said. Speaking directly to the informaticians in the audience, she added, \u201cI want to issue you a call to action because you are the people who are really shaping the infrastructure\u201d of technology supporting radiological care.

It\u2019s a cultural change for radiologists, who for years have been prodded to increase speed and efficiency in reading images to crank out reports, which\u2014in a fee-for-service world\u2014meant more revenue. Now, that paradigm is shifting, she noted.

\u201cWe need to give our patients access to their reports\u2014and we need to do more than just put patient reports out on portals,\u201d McGinty said. \u201cWe need to talk to our patients about the \u2018why\u2019 behind imaging.\u201d

That\u2019s particularly important when it comes to screenings that are provably important for early detection of disease, such as for cancer in the breast, lung and other organs that patients typically ignore. \u201cWe need to engage with patients so they will get these life-saving screenings,\u201d she added.

There are a variety of technologies that imaging informaticists can use to help engage patients in raising disease awareness and sticking to treatment regimens, said Alexander Towbin, MD, associate chief for radiology informatics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. \u201cPatient engagement entry points\u201d can include social media, wearable and mobile technologies, and communications that raise health and HIT literacy.

Empowering patients to handle their own scheduling of exams is an important first step in engaging patients, Towbin said. \u201cMost organizations have online scheduling issues\u2014they don\u2019t work across organizations or electronic medical records. We have to do a better job with scheduling for radiology exams, because of the importance of utilizing expensive equipment and eliminating exam cancellations and no-shows.\u201d

Another key to patient engagement and satisfaction is quickly contacting them about the availability of reports and results, both Towbin and McGinty said.

\u201cOur turnaround times (for viewing image studies and producing reports) are fantastic, but why do our patients have to wait when our reports are ready within hours?\u201d McGinty asked. \u201cTechnologists, patients and families should be having an interaction to discuss results.\u201d
","saveContent":"Patient interaction and the interpretation of radiological images historically haven\u2019t mixed. Traditionally, radiologists have interpreted images and dictated reports, and patients\u2019 physicians subsequently shared the bad or good news with them.

Value-based care and the availability of information technology now is enabling imaging professionals to have more opportunities to interact directly with patients, opening new opportunities for radiologists to become active participants in the care process.

Radiologists need to seize the opportunity, said Geraldine McGinty, MD, newly elected chair of the board of directors for the American College of Radiology, who spoke at last week\u2019s annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine.

Enabling imaging professionals to interact with patients will become more important as the industry transitions to value-based care and patients increasingly take an active role in making care decisions, says McGinty, a faculty member at Weill Cornell Medicine, where she serves as chief strategy officer for the Weill Cornell Physician Organization.

Also See:<\/b> Enterprise imaging plan could unite radiology and pathology<\/a>

In value-based care approaches, \u201cwe need to put our patients in the center,\u201d McGinty said. Speaking directly to the informaticians in the audience, she added, \u201cI want to issue you a call to action because you are the people who are really shaping the infrastructure\u201d of technology supporting radiological care.

It\u2019s a cultural change for radiologists, who for years have been prodded to increase speed and efficiency in reading images to crank out reports, which\u2014in a fee-for-service world\u2014meant more revenue. Now, that paradigm is shifting, she noted.

\u201cWe need to give our patients access to their reports\u2014and we need to do more than just put patient reports out on portals,\u201d McGinty said. \u201cWe need to talk to our patients about the \u2018why\u2019 behind imaging.\u201d

That\u2019s particularly important when it comes to screenings that are provably important for early detection of disease, such as for cancer in the breast, lung and other organs that patients typically ignore. \u201cWe need to engage with patients so they will get these life-saving screenings,\u201d she added.

There are a variety of technologies that imaging informaticists can use to help engage patients in raising disease awareness and sticking to treatment regimens, said Alexander Towbin, MD, associate chief for radiology informatics at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. \u201cPatient engagement entry points\u201d can include social media, wearable and mobile technologies, and communications that raise health and HIT literacy.

Empowering patients to handle their own scheduling of exams is an important first step in engaging patients, Towbin said. \u201cMost organizations have online scheduling issues\u2014they don\u2019t work across organizations or electronic medical records. We have to do a better job with scheduling for radiology exams, because of the importance of utilizing expensive equipment and eliminating exam cancellations and no-shows.\u201d

Another key to patient engagement and satisfaction is quickly contacting them about the availability of reports and results, both Towbin and McGinty said.

\u201cOur turnaround times (for viewing image studies and producing reports) are fantastic, but why do our patients have to wait when our reports are ready within hours?\u201d McGinty asked. \u201cTechnologists, patients and families should be having an interaction to discuss results.\u201d
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Radiologists can use technology to improve patient engagement

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