A Journées Françaises de Radiologie (JFR) Preview and Look at Healthcare in Europe

October 15, 2012 by Leave a comment

Ludovic d’Apréa, General Manager, Digital Medical Solutions, Europe, Carestream

Q: Ludovic, with the Journées Françaises de Radiologie (French Radiology Congress) (JFR) approaching, if you had a quick look back how would you sum up the last 12 months in the industry of medical imagery?

A: The European medical imaging market is gloomy, mainly because of a difficult economic environment, slow growth, very high debt, and high unemployment. Governments have taken measures to reduce the deficit linked to healthcare; in Italy the hospitals must reduce the cost of existing contracts by 5%, in France the PHARE project is encouraging purchase cuts of 5% over 3 years. Despite these restrictions, the European market remains one of the most important in the world. The States continue to invest heavily in caring for their ageing population.

Q: Next year will be a very challenging year, but according to you, what positive trends will take shape?

A: The European market is hugely diverse; the companies that shall progress will be those that manage to support their clients in their new practices, by improving their productivity and taking into account the current situation and investment capacities of healthcare establishments. At Carestream we are able to offer CR systems in Eastern countries, digital radiology  (DR) in Nordic countries, replacement PACS in the United Kingdom, and cloud computing archiving solutions for regional French projects…all at once.

Q: You are very involved in the development of digital technology at Carestream. What technologies today make a difference in a radiology department and what does the future hold?

A: The key word is support! It is necessary to offer innovative systems capable of increasing productivity while limiting investment. For example, providing the option of upgrading equipment at a department, institute or regional level; or solutions that enable  “mobility.” From this perspective we are offer the DRX-1 System which facilitates upgrade of existing radiology tables or mobiles and can be shared within a department with other DRX systems. Likewise our post-processing consoles allow one radiologist to manage examinations in all procedures from wherever he or she may be. By the same token our online image viewing solution Vue Motion may be added to an existing PACS and operates on tablets.

Q: To finish, a few words on the Journées Françaises de Radiologie starting very soon?

A: We are particularly pleased to be part of the 60th JFR Congress, which has become a key meeting place in the world of radiology for Europe, Africa, the Near and Middle East. We will be presenting almost our entire range of solutions and in particular the new MyVue application, which enables patients to view their radiology images on-line, thanks to a secure access portal as well as our new digital radiology mobile, the DRX-Revolution, which you can see for yourself by trying it out at the stand.

Carestream will present it’s latest innovations at the 60th Journées Françaises de Radiologie in Paris at Stand 1T06. A French version of this post can be found below.

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Ludovic, nous approchons du congrès des Journées Françaises de Radiologie, si on fait un rapide flash-back, comment résumeriez-vous les 12 derniers mois dans l’industrie de l’imagerie médicale ?

Globalement, le marché européen de l’imagerie médicale est morose, principalement à cause d’un environnement économique difficile, peu de croissance, une dette très élevée, un chômage fort…Les gouvernements ont pris des mesures pour diminuer le déficit lié à la santé ; en Italie les hôpitaux doivent diminuer le coût des contrats existants de 5%, en France le projet PHARE impose une diminution des achats de 5% sur 3 ans. Malgré ces restrictions, le marché européen reste un des plus important au monde. Les Etats continuent d’investir massivement pour soigner leur population vieillissante.

L’année prochaine sera sans contexte une année avec de nombreux challenges, mais, d’après vous, quelle sont les tendances positives qui se dessinent ?

Le marché européen se caractérisant par une grande diversité, les sociétés qui progresseront seront celles qui réussiront à accompagner leurs clients dans leurs nouveaux usages, en améliorant leur productivité, et en tenant compte de l’existant et des capacités d’investissement des établissements de santé. Chez Carestream nous pouvons proposer à la fois des systèmes CR et des reprographes dans les pays de l’Est, des salles de radiologie numériques ultra-automatisées (DR) dans les pays nordiques, le remplacement de PACS au Royaume-Uni, et des solutions d’archivage de type Cloud Computing pour les projets régionaux français…

Vous êtes très impliqué dans l’évolution de la technologie numérique chez Carestream. Quelles sont, aujourd’hui, les technologies qui font la différence dans un service de radiologie et quels sont les développements futurs ?

Le mot clé c’est l’accompagnement ! Il faut pouvoir proposer des systèmes innovants capables d’augmenter la productivité tout en limitant l’investissement ; par exemple des solutions permettant  d’upgrader le matériel en place, des solutions mutualisables à l’échelle d’un service, d’un établissement ou d’une région, et des solutions apportant de la « mobilité ». Dans cette optique, nous proposons au sein du portefeuille Carestream le capteur plan DRX-1 qui permet d’upgrader des tables ou des mobiles de radiologie existants et qui peut être partagé au sein d’un service avec d’autres systèmes de la gamme X-Factor. Aussi, nos consoles de post-traitement permettent à un seul Radiologue de gérer les examens de toutes les modalités, quel que soit l’endroit où il se trouve. De même notre solution de visualisation d’images en ligne Vue Motion peut être ajoutée à un PACS existant et fonctionne sur des smartphones et tablettes.

Pour finir, quelques mots sur les Journées Françaises de Radiologie qui commencent prochainement?

Nous sommes particulièrement heureux de participer au 60ème congrès des Journées Françaises de Radiologie, congrès  qui est devenu un des lieux de rencontres incontournable de la radiologie pour l’Europe, l’Afrique, le Proche et Moyen Orient. Nous présenterons la quasi-totalité de notre gamme de solutions et notamment la nouvelle application MyVue qui permet aux patients de voir leurs images de radiologie en ligne, grâce à un portail d’accès sécurisé, ainsi que notre nouveau mobile de radiologie numérique, le DRX-Revolution, dont vous pourrez juger des qualités exceptionnelles en l’essayant sur le stand.

Filed under mobile image access, Radiology, Tradeshows Tagged with , , , , , ,

Speeding Trauma Care with Digital Radiography

October 10, 2012 by Leave a comment

Editor’s Note: The following is a guest blog post by Gillian Tickall, Chief Radiographer at The Alfred. The Alfred is a major tertiary referral teaching hospital that provides the most comprehensive range of specialist medical and surgical services in Victoria, Australia. Tickall kindly shares how converting to digital radiography has helped to shave off 9 to 10 minutes when working on trauma patients.

A pacesetter in Australia’s national healthcare system, The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne sees 60 percent of the traumas in Victoria. For our radiology department, this equates to about 2,400 exams per year.  Like any public hospital, one of our key challenges is increasing patient throughput while also improving the patient experience and outcome. This challenge is no small feat as capital funding decreases, pushing the lifespan of our equipment from 10 to 15 years.

One way we’ve addressed this challenge and financial constraint has been to use CARESTREAM DRX detectors and mobile retrofit kits to bring our imaging technology in both the main department as well as the emergency department, into the realm of modern technology.  For example, we were able to convert a conventional x-ray room, to a fully functional DR x-ray room, capable of meeting the demands of inpatient, outpatient and emergency examinations in a way that is of benefit to our patients.

Carestream detectorIn addition to inpatients from the hospital’s burns and trauma units, the room also supports a large population of outpatients, used for multiple exam types, from elderly patients in traction with broken limbs who have to be lifted onto the table to follow-up multi-trauma traffic accident victims. In these cases, it’s particularly helpful to have a wireless detector that you don’t have to reposition between projections.  If the detector is positioned incorrectly, the image is accessible immediately and if anatomy is clipped, the radiographer can retake the image after slight repositioning of the detector, which is already behind the patient, thus less distress to the patient.

The benefits in intensive care are significant, through the use of Carestream’s tube and line visualization software, doctors, while by the bedside can see immediately if they have put a nasogastric tube down correctly or not. They can see the image on the monitor allowing them to make an immediate assessment and correction if required. This feature is fantastic. You don’t need another exposure, if you are not quite sure of where the nasogastric tube is going into the stomach you take a copy of the diagnostic image and then apply the software tool and it’s beautiful. The line shows up perfectly and that is a huge benefit. The ICU doctors think it’s fantastic.

Another benefit is when we go to a code blue in the ward, when the patient has just arrested and we are not sure what could have caused it, we do an x-ray. All the necessary doctors and staff are there and they can see the image straight away. They then have the ability to make a decision immediately while the patient is critical. For us to go all the way back to the department , process the image, put it on  the network and bring it back to the code blue team takes time the patient doesn’t have and can result in a negative clinical outcome.  We managed to shave off a good 9 to 10 minutes when working on trauma patients, which is an awful lot of time when you think about the standard golden hour with traumas.

The DRX detectors also allow us to share between the dedicated imaging rooms and ED. For the purpose of ED we have a room that has 2 wireless detectors, 1 for the vertical bucky and 1 for the table bucky, which can be taken out and used on the trauma trolleys For the odd time you need to do a mobile you can take one detector out of the room and the room will still function, the ability to maintain effective concurrent room and mobile workflows is terrific.

We also have 3 of the new cesium iodide [DRX-1C] detectors, which provide the same image quality with a lower dose as compared to detectors in the ED room and retrofit room in the main department. These are used on the mobile units for mostly in the intensive care unit and the wards. The actual exposure is minimal compared to what we used to use. We used to use the exposure settings of 85 KV on 5 or 6 MAS for a chest X-ray and [with the DRX-1C] we are using now 90 KV on 1.6 MAS. This represents a significant dose saving for the patients who may have to have 1, 2, 3 x-rays a day while they are in intensive care. Given, these images are absolutely necessary, all the more reason radiation dose exposures need to be as minimal as possible and monitored.

When it comes to evaluating the value of our conversion to DR, I look at it in terms of its ability to allow more time for my radiographers to spend with the patient, decreasing the pain effect on the patient and also having the ability to see the image instantaneously.  It does mean that we can get more patients through, while still achieving a better patient experience and better outcome.

Filed under Customer Spotlight, Digital Radiography, Mobile X-Ray, Patient Safety, Patients First, Radiology, X-Factor Customers Tagged with , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Imaging IT Strategies Q&A Highlights CMIO / CIO Priorities

September 27, 2012 by Leave a comment

Cristine Kao

Cristine Kao, Global Marketing Manager, Healthcare IT, Carestream

Last week, we sponsored a dynamic presentation and Q&A with three healthcare and radiology thought leaders: Kristina Kermanshahche, Chief Architect of Health for Intel Corporation, Maureen Gaffney, RN, the CMIO at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, New York, and Dr. Eliot Siegel, Professor and Vice Chair University of Maryland School of Medicine Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, and Chief of Imaging at VA Maryland Healthcare System in Baltimore.

Moderated by Mary Tierney, VP, Chief Content Officer, of Clinnical Innovation & Technology Magazine, the Webinar offered best practices and insight for new approaches to medical imaging operational design that address both healthcare reform and the proliferation of big data.

But it was the the Q&A that particularly struck me. Webinar attendees had the chance to submit questions for the panelists and for the next 30 minutes the dialogue addressed what’s on the mind of CXOs and radiologists as they navigate this new world.

Here are the top 10 questions from attendees:

  1. Can the cloud help you achieve stage 2 meaningful use measures?
  2. How will you address patient engagement?
  3. What makes cloud a less expensive approach operationally? Do the cost savings apply to facilities of all sizes?
  4. Is it possible to use the cloud to share images across institutions?
  5. Are there any benefits to the cloud in mobile device deployment?
  6. What are the challenges of managing “bring your own device” in the healthcare environment?
  7. What vision do you have for closed loop communication among clinicians? For example in lesion tracking?
  8. How will radiology workflow evolve to be more patient-centric?
  9. What are the benefits of giving radiologists access to more raw data?
  10. What impact will social media have on the future of image sharing?

What followed was a thoughtful discussion on how facilities are storing and receiving images at both the hospital and HIE; how patient portals are just one piece of patient engagement; how the cloud can improve performance and access outside the enterprise,  and how making information more accessible across the care continuum is central to improving patient outcomes.

For a pulse on what’s working TODAY and how imaging IT will evolve over time, you can watch the Webinar On Demand at Clinical Innovation & Technology.

Filed under Health IT, Innovation Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Stage 2 and the Shift to a Patient-Centric Radiology Workflow

September 13, 2012 by 1 Comment

Doug Rufer

Doug Rufer, North American Business Manager, RIS, Healthcare Information Solutions, Carestream

The final measures of stage 2 meaningful use start the 2nd chapter in changing the way all specialties will practice medicine.  For radiology, incorporation of patient images into the patient’s clinical record as a specific measure opened the door for future legislation that will take into account other specialty needs as future stages are rolled out.

The goal of meaningful use has always been to provide both clinical and technological avenues to share patient medical information without boundaries to those who require it to improve quality of care and reduce overall costs.  By adding medical images to the mix, the door has been opened for improved access to patient images, thereby reducing repeat exams; and from the patient perspective, decreasing overall patient exposure to radiation.  However, these changes are sure to propose challenges for radiology going forward.  Radiology is typically practiced as a departmental approach, not a patient centric approach.  Additionally, radiology has been the gatekeeper of the medical imaging record, not the EHR; and to date, there are no standard-based image archives and viewing platforms that allow any EHR access to patient images regardless of vendor or location; and this is where the opportunity for medical imaging vendors begins.

Providing measures to incorporate medical images into the EHR sets the stage for better image access, but one major hurdle still exists: how does one access the thousands of imaging silos of information?  Additionally, how do we create a standards-based, not simply vendor-neutral, open access image archive accessible by those who need it the most – the patient and their primary caregiver?

Meaningful Use will forever change radiology’s workflow. The new path keeps the patient at the center of care. This paradigm shift will prompt new technologies and new methods for practicing radiology as the future unfolds.

Consider the following:

  • Radiologists must focus more on the overall clinical condition of the patient when making an exam diagnosis, rather than the short patient history taken at the time of exam.  This change emphasizes overall patient outcomes, not just imaging outcomes.
  • Access to the complete patient record and forthcoming decision support rules will aid radiologists in taking a more holistic approach to image diagnosis.  While this will take more time in exam interpretation, overall patient outcomes can improve significantly.
  • Barriers to image access that exist today must be overcome to allow easier access across any platform for viewing.
  • New mobile technology must be developed to provide anytime/anywhere access to the patient record and images, further reducing the barrier to information.  This will further virtualize the medical industry.
  • Technologists must now focus on capturing better patient histories using a structured data approach during the exam to help radiologists better collaborate with the overall patient record and produce better reports that provide better data mining capabilities.

Although we’re still in the infancy of rolling out a more patient centric model of care that encompasses all medical specialties, radiology must begin to adapt today to prepare for the changes of tomorrow.  No longer can a radiology practice afford to focus on the inherent imaging needs of the patient, but rather the overall goal of improved patient outcomes needs to take front and center stage going forward.  The advent of new technology must take place for our reformed healthcare model to succeed. As you consider technology purchases today, make sure your vendor is devoted to developing the tools necessary for the future.

Filed under Health Reform, Meaningful Use, Patients First, Radiology Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Name That X-Ray – September’s Radiology Image Challenge

September 5, 2012 by 5 Comments

Congratulations to those who correctly identified last month’s image — a coconut — one of our favorite flavors of summer.

We think we have one that will really stump you this time.  Step right up radiologists, technologists, administrators, MDs and PAs.  You can place your guess in the comments.

x-rayThe “Guess the X-Ray” challenge runs until October 2.  The first person to correctly identify the x-ray will be the winner.

Happy guessing!

Sorry… Carestream employees and their agencies are prohibited from entering. 

Filed under Digital Radiography, Image Challenge Tagged with , , ,

DRYVIEW Chroma Imager Trade Trial at Italian Hospital: Satisfied Physicians, More Referrals

August 23, 2012 by 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: Casa di Cura Sileno e Anna Rizzola hospital in San Donà di Piave, Italy, recently participated in a trade trial for Carestream’s DRYVIEW Chroma Imager. We asked Dr. Riccardo Dus, M.D., Director of Diagnostic Imaging Services, to discuss the hospital’s experience with the product.

Through a trade trial with Carestream’s DRYVIEW Chroma Imager, we found that high-quality paper output of medical images from this device enhanced satisfaction among our referring physicians – to the extent that referrals have increased.

Let me provide some context: Our diagnostic imaging team performs 50,000 imaging exams annually on the CR, DR, MR, CT and ultrasound imaging systems at our 100-bed Casa di Cura Sileno e Anna Rizzola hospital. Previously, we furnished referring physicians CDs containing patient images from these exams. As part of the trade trial, we began supplying hardcopies of selected images, along with a full compilation of images on CD. The hardcopies constituted images printed on Chroma glossy medical paper in A3 (420 x 297 mm) and A4 (210 x 297 mm) sizes.

DRYVIEW ChromaOur referring physicians responded enthusiastically. We learned that they greatly appreciate the convenience of viewing images on paper at their desk or in an exam room with a patient. Consequently, as mentioned above, these physicians have begun referring more patients to our hospital.

We now print approximately 600-800 medical images per month with the DRYVIEW Chroma Imager. Handling the volume has not been a challenge: The printer has a roll paper feeder that automatically cuts the paper to either A3 or A4 size, thus improving the productivity of our department. We simply select the paper size and the printer handles the output. This is a tremendous advantage: Our technicians do not need to constantly check and replenish the printer’s paper supply throughout the day, nor do we need to stock two different paper sizes.

The printer also was easy to set up and has proved extremely reliable. Plus its initial price and ongoing operating costs make it very cost effective. But we did not install the DRYVIEW Chroma Imager for these reasons. Our primary motivation was to find a printer that could deliver high-quality paper output to better meet the needs of our referring physicians. We accomplished that thanks to the DRYVIEW Chroma Imager.

Filed under Printing Solutions Tagged with , , , , , , , , ,

New Real-Time Data Mining Tools Can Transform Radiology Administration

August 16, 2012 by Leave a comment

Robert Mack

Bob Mack, U.S. Manager of Vue Cloud Services, Carestream

With pressure for improved service quality and productivity, today’s radiology administrators need insight into the business side of imaging for critical decision support. At AHRA 2012 this week, much focus was placed on how to become a more decision-centric department and harness data in real-time.

We spent time with administrators at the show letting them get hands on with our new Vue Beyond software that delivers analytics and data mining to your desktop. Our business intelligence and reporting dashboard accesses PACS data to provide a real-time understanding of department workflow. You can easily view and drill down into accurate, quality performance metrics like study volume, modality mix, patient type, report turnaround and critical results notification to shorten patient wait times and enhance profitability. Access to real-time data can equip administrators to optimize personnel and equipment utilization, improve report turnaround times, and drive patient satisfaction.

This focus on the business of imaging is a shift from previous AHRA events. At the show, I spoke with Marianne Matthews, editor of Imaging Economics, about how vendors are stepping up to meet administrator business intelligence and data-mining needs:

 

 

Do you use data mining tools or have automated processes to assist with management of radiology processes? Does your current solution offer real-time data?

Filed under AHRA 2012, Health IT, Tradeshows Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

Business Intelligence & Mobile Imaging To Take Center Stage At AHRA

August 12, 2012 by Leave a comment

Doug Spotts

Doug Spotts, General Manager, United States and Canada Medical Sales, Carestream

When the exhibit floor at AHRA opens tomorrow radiology administrators will be looking for innovative new technologies.  I’ll be in Carestream’s booth (#609) as we unveil capabilities that can impact radiology administrators, technologists, radiologists and ultimately patients:

  • A real-time view of departmental workflow that can help administrators improve staff productivity and profitability
  • New mobile imaging tools that display current and prior images side-by-side on an iPad; and
  • Features for the DRX-Evolution that can help limit patient exposure and optimize chest and pediatric imaging.

Our new Vue Beyond for Radiology can produce shorter patient wait times and enhanced profitability by providing a single real-time view into metrics like study volumes and turnaround times, modality usage, patient type and critical results notification to help administrators detect and understand any bottlenecks that exist in the departmental workflow.

Radiology administrators can take the DRX-Revolution for a test drive and see a demo of the Vue Motion imaging viewer that delivers two important features: side-by-side display of current and prior images on an iPad—a much-requested feature—and the ability for clinicians to input order notes to an exam.

With dose reduction sure to be on the mind of every professional at the meeting, our staff will describe a host of new capabilities for the DRX-Evolution including: image processing techniques optimized for pediatric views; linear tomography (not commercially available in the U.S.) that aids in viewing anatomy obscured by overlying organs and tissues; asymmetric collimation to help limit patient exposure during an exam, and Pneumothorax Visualization Software that creates a companion image (from the original exposure) to accentuate the appearance of free air in the chest cavity and aid in visualization of a collapsed lung.

This meeting offers the perfect blend of knowledge sharing and hands on access to new products that will redefine image capture and management. Hope to see you there.

What new technologies are you most interested in seeing at AHRA? 

Filed under AHRA 2012, Digital Radiography, Health IT, mobile image access, Mobile X-Ray, Radiology, Tradeshows Tagged with , , , , , , , ,

AHRA 2012 Symposium: Will Cloud Services Impact Radiology Operations?

August 10, 2012 by Leave a comment

Robert Mack

Bob Mack, U.S. Manager of Vue Cloud Services, Carestream

Cloud Services Savings InfographicIs cloud computing on your agenda at AHRA? You’re not alone.

The adoption of free and simple cloud computing tools such as Google Apps, Skype, Flickr and iTunes for personal affairs, has lead CIOs and other technology executives to begin using those cloud-based software tools at work. At the same time, enterprise-focused cloud services such as Amazon Web Services are making it possible for startups and other companies to run their businesses at much lower costs. These two forces of cloud computing, adoption and economics, are driving down the cost structure of business at an accelerating rate. Cloud-based computing is fast approaching a tipping point that will make it the standard for IT.

For healthcare, the old days of IT systems and architecture built and managed entirely in-house, or partly outsourced to a few mammoth vendors, may soon be gone. In its place a hybrid model rises — one that maintains elements of the traditional IT foundation, but also takes advantage of new technology and platforms as they emerge.

Transitioning to the cloud enables healthcare organizations to take advantage of savings and improved functionality without complicating existing workflows. It can also position them to use the cloud to provide new services to patients and enter new markets, driving revenue and growth. Healthcare currently treats these two paths separately. However, at some point they will need to converge. When they do, Radiology Administrators will need to understand what it takes to effectively manage an integrated cloud model.

As you build your schedule for AHRA, I hope you join me Monday, August 13 at 7:45 AM in the exhibitor symposium, where we’ll talk about:

  • The impact of cloud computing on radiology operations
  • The developing role of patient portals
  • The changing relationships between radiology archives, clinical applications and patient data management
  • Effective roles that Radiology Administrators can carve out as their departments move to the cloud

Please stop by booth 609 to share your experience and opinion on cloud service adoption in radiology. Let’s dig into market transitions, delivery models, TCO and changes to vendor, provider and patient relationships. Hope to see you there.

Filed under AHRA 2012, Health IT, Radiology, Tradeshows Tagged with , , , , , ,

Carestream’s X-Ray Image Challenge

August 6, 2012 by 9 Comments

July’s x-ray stumped our Everything Rad readers.  A few got very close, but no one got all six items of the grocery bag correct:

But there are still plenty of images!  Here’s the image for the August challenge:

August X-Ray
You can place your guess in the comments. The “Guess the X-Ray” challenge runs until September 4.  The first person to correctly identify the x-ray will be the winner.

Happy guessing!

Sorry… Carestream employees and their agencies are prohibited from entering. 

Filed under Image Challenge, Radiology Tagged with , , ,

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