[{"innerBlocks":[],"name":"core\/freeform","postId":2685,"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":"As radiologists come under more pressure to improve performance in a value-based care environment, they\u2019ll have to adopt information technology to help them deal with new challenges for increased efficiency.

While radiologists have used digital systems for many years in viewing images and creating reports, they\u2019ll have to become adept at new IT systems that will help them demonstrate their value to healthcare, says Paul Chang, MD, professor of radiology and vice chair of radiology informatics for the University of Chicago Medicine.

The emergence of value-based care \u201cis a huge opportunity for those of us in radiology,\u201d Chang says. \u201cWe will no longer be valued just for reading images. But we have to prove we\u2019re doing the right thing\u201d in treating patients.

Under fee-for-service reimbursement, radiologists \u201ccould get away with optimizing quality or efficiency\u2014you didn\u2019t have to do both,\u201d Chang says. \u201cIn this new world, you will need to optimize quality, efficiency and patient safety. To do that, radiologists will need to leverage IT.\u201d

In a presentation at the recent conference of the Radiological Society of North America, Chang said radiologists will need to use IT to reduce variability, and use it in such a way to reverse common trends that are currently working against quality. For example, Chang says many healthcare organizations have put themselves in a place where they \u201crely on humans remembering to do the right thing; it\u2019s unacceptable to be dependent on one person\u2014that introduces variability. It\u2019s more important to rely on data driven workflow rather than retrospective review.\u201d

For radiologists, it\u2019s important to consider ways to use IT tools as part of \u201ca complete quality-driven workflow,\u201d he adds.

Also See:<\/b> Research looks to bring deep learning to radiology<\/a>

That is what\u2019s helping improve quality in radiology at Penn Medicine, says Tessa S. Cook, MD, director of its 3D and advanced imaging laboratory as well as director for the Center for Translational Informatics.

The organization is increasing its use of interoperable methodologies to improve information sharing, as well as the exchange of radiologists\u2019 reports and other data.

At Penn, the organization built an in-house system that used interoperability to build reports and use information to identify people for whom radiologists identified concerns that should be followed up. In a manual workflow before using the system, a radiologist might call a physician and suggest that a patient may require a follow-up study. But without a way to take the existing report data and patient data and send them with an electronic message to the ordering physician along with the recommendation, it\u2019s likely that the case won\u2019t be effectively handled.

To improve the transfer of information and care continuity, Penn Medicine built an in-house system to transfer the information. The Penn effort used guidance from the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise project (IHE), which offers integration profiles meant to enable the transfer of information from various disciplines within healthcare organizations.

\u201cScheduled workflow is one of the biggest successes to come out of IHE,\u201d Cook says. \u201cThere is now more consistency throughout the care cycle.\u201d Healthcare organizations need to pressure IT vendors to get better access to the information that\u2019s needed for IT integration efforts, she adds.

Demands on radiologists are changing because of economic forces such as value-based care, forcing them to become participants in quality improvement efforts and to use IT as a tool to improve results, Chang says.

\u201cWe now have to improve value, and the only way to do that is leverage IT to enhance what humans can do,\u201d he says. \u201cWe will no longer be valued just for interpreting images; the goal is now measureable improvements in efficiency, productivity, costs, achieving metrics, quality and patient outcomes.\u201d
","saveContent":"As radiologists come under more pressure to improve performance in a value-based care environment, they\u2019ll have to adopt information technology to help them deal with new challenges for increased efficiency.

While radiologists have used digital systems for many years in viewing images and creating reports, they\u2019ll have to become adept at new IT systems that will help them demonstrate their value to healthcare, says Paul Chang, MD, professor of radiology and vice chair of radiology informatics for the University of Chicago Medicine.

The emergence of value-based care \u201cis a huge opportunity for those of us in radiology,\u201d Chang says. \u201cWe will no longer be valued just for reading images. But we have to prove we\u2019re doing the right thing\u201d in treating patients.

Under fee-for-service reimbursement, radiologists \u201ccould get away with optimizing quality or efficiency\u2014you didn\u2019t have to do both,\u201d Chang says. \u201cIn this new world, you will need to optimize quality, efficiency and patient safety. To do that, radiologists will need to leverage IT.\u201d

In a presentation at the recent conference of the Radiological Society of North America, Chang said radiologists will need to use IT to reduce variability, and use it in such a way to reverse common trends that are currently working against quality. For example, Chang says many healthcare organizations have put themselves in a place where they \u201crely on humans remembering to do the right thing; it\u2019s unacceptable to be dependent on one person\u2014that introduces variability. It\u2019s more important to rely on data driven workflow rather than retrospective review.\u201d

For radiologists, it\u2019s important to consider ways to use IT tools as part of \u201ca complete quality-driven workflow,\u201d he adds.

Also See:<\/b> Research looks to bring deep learning to radiology<\/a>

That is what\u2019s helping improve quality in radiology at Penn Medicine, says Tessa S. Cook, MD, director of its 3D and advanced imaging laboratory as well as director for the Center for Translational Informatics.

The organization is increasing its use of interoperable methodologies to improve information sharing, as well as the exchange of radiologists\u2019 reports and other data.

At Penn, the organization built an in-house system that used interoperability to build reports and use information to identify people for whom radiologists identified concerns that should be followed up. In a manual workflow before using the system, a radiologist might call a physician and suggest that a patient may require a follow-up study. But without a way to take the existing report data and patient data and send them with an electronic message to the ordering physician along with the recommendation, it\u2019s likely that the case won\u2019t be effectively handled.

To improve the transfer of information and care continuity, Penn Medicine built an in-house system to transfer the information. The Penn effort used guidance from the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise project (IHE), which offers integration profiles meant to enable the transfer of information from various disciplines within healthcare organizations.

\u201cScheduled workflow is one of the biggest successes to come out of IHE,\u201d Cook says. \u201cThere is now more consistency throughout the care cycle.\u201d Healthcare organizations need to pressure IT vendors to get better access to the information that\u2019s needed for IT integration efforts, she adds.

Demands on radiologists are changing because of economic forces such as value-based care, forcing them to become participants in quality improvement efforts and to use IT as a tool to improve results, Chang says.

\u201cWe now have to improve value, and the only way to do that is leverage IT to enhance what humans can do,\u201d he says. \u201cWe will no longer be valued just for interpreting images; the goal is now measureable improvements in efficiency, productivity, costs, achieving metrics, quality and patient outcomes.\u201d
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Radiologists will need to leverage IT to meet new demands

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