Connecting the pieces for
a healthier population
a healthier population
The sharing of patient data creates a comprehensive view
June 09, 2016
By Rick Perez
Some of the greatest challenges in medical image management involve sharing patient data with affiliated and unaffiliated providers. As a 590-bed, university-based teaching hospital on Long Island, Winthrop-University Hospital offers specialty treatment programs and serves patients within 60 miles of the hospital. Because of the regional patient base, we developed a process for importing imaging data from affiliated urgent care centers, orthopaedic clinics, physicians’ offices and other providers. We create a medical record number for patients in our network and link all imaging exams and other procedures to that number so physicians can see relevant clinical data for each patient.
However, we also care for thousands of non-network trauma patients annually. Since speed of assessment and treatment are extremely important, we make specific imaging studies available to authorized physicians from a cloud-based, image-sharing solution. We equip physicians to view these images and make preliminary diagnostic and treatment decisions so specialists and equipment are ready when the patient arrives.
Our image-sharing methods are designed to avoid the use of CDs because importing the data cannot begin until the patient arrives and there are often delays (and glitches) in uploading images. We are working to develop an integrated image-sharing solution with non-network providers. Many patients have multiple doctors and their records are stored at different locations. Our goal is to create a system that allows our physicians to access a more comprehensive view of patient data when making treatment decisions.
Providing secure image access to both physicians and patients is also a top priority. Physicians can log into our VPN to view imaging studies and other patient records. A universal viewer enables physicians to quickly and easily review patient data on mobile devices as well as workstations. We also offer a secure patient portal that allows patients to view, download and share their records.
Asking insurance companies to participate in sharing patient data
I hope insurance companies (including private companies and Medicare/Medicaid) will join in efforts to expedite the sharing of patient data. They have records for all the procedures performed on each patient and could participate in a process designed to expedite access to prior lab results, imaging exams, reports and other procedure data.
Insurers would gain the ability to reduce duplicate exams and lower costs. Our objective is to streamline the collection of imaging data and enhance patient care. I don’t know exactly what the process could be for involving insurers, but it’s certainly a goal worth pursuing for all parties. Other critical aspects of managing image data are redundancy and guaranteed uptime. We have designed our enterprise imaging network to include RIS, PACS and imaging modalities with two redundant nodes. Since these nodes can operate independently, if one node goes down we can continue to operate using the other node.
This dual-node design makes it easy for us to run diagnostics, install new hardware and software, undergo construction and make repairs without interrupting operations. For greater protection during a disaster, one node is on-site and the other node is offsite. We also have all data backed up to a cloud-based data center.
As a Level 1 trauma center we created an environment that allows our emergency department to function during a power outage or disaster. The ED has a horizontal network that will keep RIS and PACS functioning if we lose the hospital network. Our systems have UPS-protected power and we have generators that can keep the RIS, PACS and all major modalities functioning for 72 hours, so we can provide emergency patient care during a catastrophe.
The ultimate goal of the health care industry is to be patient-focused, not disease-focused. Discrete departmental systems create an environment where physicians are accessing only a small amount of data to make diagnostic and treatment decisions. We need to work toward a future where we can deliver a comprehensive view of the patient — including a patient’s medical history as well as imaging studies, lab results, radiology and pathology reports, and other forms of patient data. This holistic approach can utilize the industry’s impressive technological advances to establish a new generation of patient care.
About the author: Rick Perez, BS, RT, CRA, has served as the administrative director of Winthrop-University Hospital’s Department of Radiology since 2003. He oversees 253 full-time employees and 31 radiologists while managing a $27 million budget. The hospital and its affiliated sites conduct 265,000 procedures a year.
Some of the greatest challenges in medical image management involve sharing patient data with affiliated and unaffiliated providers. As a 590-bed, university-based teaching hospital on Long Island, Winthrop-University Hospital offers specialty treatment programs and serves patients within 60 miles of the hospital. Because of the regional patient base, we developed a process for importing imaging data from affiliated urgent care centers, orthopaedic clinics, physicians’ offices and other providers. We create a medical record number for patients in our network and link all imaging exams and other procedures to that number so physicians can see relevant clinical data for each patient.
However, we also care for thousands of non-network trauma patients annually. Since speed of assessment and treatment are extremely important, we make specific imaging studies available to authorized physicians from a cloud-based, image-sharing solution. We equip physicians to view these images and make preliminary diagnostic and treatment decisions so specialists and equipment are ready when the patient arrives.
Our image-sharing methods are designed to avoid the use of CDs because importing the data cannot begin until the patient arrives and there are often delays (and glitches) in uploading images. We are working to develop an integrated image-sharing solution with non-network providers. Many patients have multiple doctors and their records are stored at different locations. Our goal is to create a system that allows our physicians to access a more comprehensive view of patient data when making treatment decisions.
Providing secure image access to both physicians and patients is also a top priority. Physicians can log into our VPN to view imaging studies and other patient records. A universal viewer enables physicians to quickly and easily review patient data on mobile devices as well as workstations. We also offer a secure patient portal that allows patients to view, download and share their records.
Asking insurance companies to participate in sharing patient data
I hope insurance companies (including private companies and Medicare/Medicaid) will join in efforts to expedite the sharing of patient data. They have records for all the procedures performed on each patient and could participate in a process designed to expedite access to prior lab results, imaging exams, reports and other procedure data.
Insurers would gain the ability to reduce duplicate exams and lower costs. Our objective is to streamline the collection of imaging data and enhance patient care. I don’t know exactly what the process could be for involving insurers, but it’s certainly a goal worth pursuing for all parties. Other critical aspects of managing image data are redundancy and guaranteed uptime. We have designed our enterprise imaging network to include RIS, PACS and imaging modalities with two redundant nodes. Since these nodes can operate independently, if one node goes down we can continue to operate using the other node.
This dual-node design makes it easy for us to run diagnostics, install new hardware and software, undergo construction and make repairs without interrupting operations. For greater protection during a disaster, one node is on-site and the other node is offsite. We also have all data backed up to a cloud-based data center.
As a Level 1 trauma center we created an environment that allows our emergency department to function during a power outage or disaster. The ED has a horizontal network that will keep RIS and PACS functioning if we lose the hospital network. Our systems have UPS-protected power and we have generators that can keep the RIS, PACS and all major modalities functioning for 72 hours, so we can provide emergency patient care during a catastrophe.
The ultimate goal of the health care industry is to be patient-focused, not disease-focused. Discrete departmental systems create an environment where physicians are accessing only a small amount of data to make diagnostic and treatment decisions. We need to work toward a future where we can deliver a comprehensive view of the patient — including a patient’s medical history as well as imaging studies, lab results, radiology and pathology reports, and other forms of patient data. This holistic approach can utilize the industry’s impressive technological advances to establish a new generation of patient care.
About the author: Rick Perez, BS, RT, CRA, has served as the administrative director of Winthrop-University Hospital’s Department of Radiology since 2003. He oversees 253 full-time employees and 31 radiologists while managing a $27 million budget. The hospital and its affiliated sites conduct 265,000 procedures a year.