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Carestream will highlight at RSNA 2013 a new generation of its Vue PACS platform as a work in progress. The new platform is designed to enhance productivity for radiologists and referring physicians.

The enhancements include embedded access to key image data using links within the report and a teleradiology module that gives remote radiologists access to prior exams and automatically sends reports to the requesting facility.

Radiologists will be able to insert bookmarks that contain key images into the reports, the company said, with the goal of adding more diagnostic information for physicians.

The optional Vue for Teleradiology module is also a work in progress and is designed to make off-site reading more efficient, allowing radiologists to access worklists and delivery reports. It uses Carestream’s Vue Motion zero footprint image viewer to transfer imaging studies.

Carestream will also highlight the ability of the Vue Motion viewer to support 3D capabilities as a work in progress. New clinical functionality will include the use of bookmarks in a report and MPR and 3D rendering.

Articles

Carestream to Showcase New PACS WIP

Minneapolis-based U.S. Electronics Inc. will release at RSNA 2013 a range of LED-backlit diagnostic monitors.

The monitors include a range of resolutions, including .3MP, 2MP, 3MP, 5MP, and 6MP. The company will also showcase color, monochrome and touch monitors.

The new LED backlighting technology provides higher brightness, longer lifetime and wider color gamut compared with previous cathode fluorescent lamp monitors, the company said.

Other features include improved brightness and contrast, backlight stabilization providing for DICOM calibration, display port interface, and internal power supply, the company said.

USEI to Release LED Backlit Monitors

MIM Software Inc. will be highlighting at RSNA 2013 a cloud-based option for their entire MIM software suite.

The MIMcloud Portal will allow any physician or healthcare professional to access MIM anywhere on most computers with Internet access. With this portal, al processing is done in the cloud and the user’s computer only functions as a display with interaction, the company said. All images are encrypted and meet HIPAA requirements.

The MIMcloud Portal can be used from the company’s thin client server or from a client-hosted on-site server, the company said. In either case, the MIM licensing system remains the same, and there are significant benefits and cost savings.

MIM Software to Highlight MIMcloud Portal

What does the “power of partnership” mean to you in the medical imaging field? It’s the theme of the upcoming RSNA 2013 conference, so we asked radiology thought leaders for their views on what partnership looks like in today’s changing medical world. Here are their responses in their own words.

James A. Deye, PhD[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"21170","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_3289149600769","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"1419","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"float: right; margin: 5px;","title":"James A. Deye, PhD","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
Program Director, National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, Radiation Research Program 

When asked to talk at the RSNA about imaging and “partnership” I immediately thought of partnership in the context of both physics and quantitative medicine.

Why? Because, as a physicist myself, I have become convinced that the current push for precision medicine, including activities at the NCI and NIH, will only have a chance of success at the bedside if the biomedical community utilizes the essential elements of the physical sciences which involve both the development of novel concepts and technologies driven by cutting edge physics, coupled with rigorous analysis of uncertainties and validation of methods.

And I am not alone in this belief since there are now a number of NIH-funded initiatives which support such partnerships: eg. the 

 , to name just two. I also feel that RSNA provides a perfect venue for proselytizing this view to the widest radiological audience given the number and breadth of attendees and given that RSNA has been a leader in promoting quantitative methods within radiology through the likes of its 

Ajay Wadgaonkar, MD[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"21171","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_9436261212099","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"1420","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 280px; width: 200px; margin: 5px; float: right;","title":"Ajay Wadgaonkar, MD","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
House Officer, Department of Radiology, Johns Hopkins Hospital

Optimizing physician- to-physician and physician-to-patient partnership has never been more critical to the field of radiology. 

With our project [that he’ll speak about at RSNA

], we wanted to outline the essential steps for creating and maintaining an online radiology department alumni portal.

Such a portal offers tremendous educational, mentorship, professional, and social opportunities for its members and the department as a whole. It also engenders improved collaboration and communication with alumni who may have lost touch with department activities. In today's increasingly demanding healthcare environment, the importance of continued relationships and physician partnerships cannot be underestimated.

Jim Lipcamon, Manager of Outpatient Imaging Services
East Cooper Medical Center, Charleston, SC 

The ability to provide welcoming, assuring and compassionate care in the imaging industry takes a collaborative effort from a team of individuals who see themselves as equals and focus on one thing, the patient.  

Success evolves from a partnership of physicians, technologists, administrators, support staff and vendors who are passionate about what they do and are focused on the five pillars:  service, quality, people, finance and growth. 

The power of partnership also requires the ability of those involved to listen and work together. One of us is not as smart as all of us! Processes are formed to do things better than in the past, in a smarter and more effective way.

I believe Winston Churchill said it best: "If we are all together, nothing is impossible. If we are all divided, all will fail."

Lawrence R. Muroff, M.D, FACR[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"12346","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_9808860450100","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"478","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 294px; width: 225px; margin: 5px; float: right;","title":"Lawrence R. Muroff, MD, FACR","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
CEO and President of Imaging Consultant Inc. in Tampa, Fla. 

The future for radiology is bright; the future for radiologists is far less certain.

Radiologists have fared very well the past few decades by practicing independently. We have embraced technologic change, but have always done so from the perspective of “this is what we can do for you.” The “you” might have been a patient, although most often it was the referring physician.

Compensation was independent of outcomes, and the more one did, the more one got paid. Under a fee-for-service reimbursement system, this modus operandi worked well. Such a volume-based healthcare system is no longer sustainable as the only (or even the main) way to compensate physicians for services rendered.

In the new healthcare dynamic, radiologists will have to be partners in a team approach to the care of entire populations. There will need to be a change from “this is what we can do,” to “what is it that the patient needs?”

Fully integrated teams of physicians, hospitals, and other providers will care for patients from cradle to grave. Payment will shift from a system that reimburses independently of outcomes to a fully at-risk system (presumably some form of capitation) that rewards for successful outcomes. If radiologists are to remain relevant, they will have to show value, and value will be defined as outcomes/cost. 

This new paradigm, labeled by the ACR as Radiology 3.0, stresses the need to shift from “output to outcomes” and from “volume to value.” In essence, if we are to survive as specialists, we will have to demonstrate significance.

In order to do that we must function as integrated partners in the new patient-centric healthcare enterprise.

Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"12327","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_8801483556762","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"462","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 286px; width: 250px; margin: 5px; float: right;","title":"Richard Gunderman, MD, PhD","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
Vice Chair of Radiology, Indiana University 

Anyone who doubts the power of partnership should compare the very different biographies of Microsoft Encarta and Wikipedia. 

In the 1990s, Microsoft, one of the wealthiest companies in the world, sought to develop and market a digital encyclopedia as a business proposition. Access would require purchase or subscription, and it would also generate revenue through advertisements. The company poured a great deal of time and money into the project, eventually accumulating more than 60,000 articles. 

By contrast, Wikipedia, born in 2001, was produced not by paid writers and editors, but by volunteers, and allowed anyone to write and edit articles. 

Today Encarta is dead, while Wikipedia contains nearly 4,400,000 articles and represents the fifth most visited website in the world. Its content is available free to anyone with a connection to the internet - a testament to the power of millions of people all over the world, most of whom have never met one another, but whose energetic partnership in the advancement of knowledge has produced an educational resource for the ages.

The case of Wikipedia reminds radiologists that true security does not lie in hoarding or controlling information for short-term profit, but in the willingness to collaborate with diverse groups to advance long-term knowledge.  

James Thrall, MD[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"12335","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_1680914460119","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"469","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 267px; width: 250px; margin: 5px; float: right;","title":"James Thrall, MD","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
Chairman Emeritus, Department of Radiology, Mass General Hospital
Distinguished Taveras Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School   

The term “partnership” has become popular, even ubiquitous, in the business world over the last two or three decades.

Somewhere along the line the term “customer” was lost - customers were no longer customers, they became “partners.” In this contemporary usage, the term has lost important meaning and impact - exchanging money for goods and services establishes a business relationship but does not constitute a true partnership.

Rather, I believe the term “partner” or “partnership” should be reserved for situations where both parties contribute to a common purpose with the goal of creating shared value, such as advancing a research agenda or validating and improving a clinical application.

The most powerful partnerships are those where each side has unique capabilities to contribute, there is mutual respect and there is a fair balance in sharing the value created.

M. Elizabeth Oates, MD[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"12343","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_1011618412395","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"476","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"height: 253px; width: 250px; margin: 5px; float: right;","title":"M. Elizabeth Oates, MD","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
Professor and Chair, Department of Radiology
University of Kentucky 

Partnership takes many forms. Likewise, leadership takes many forms. Partnership and leadership intersect strategically and practically in many ways. 

Dyads, triads, and so on have become popular in healthcare administration - teams of physicians, nurses and administrators focused on specific problems. These complementary interdisciplinary working relationships create dynamic groups that accelerate progress in support of our clinical, educational and/or research missions. 

Working closely with one or more thoughtful, committed individuals tends to be more professionally satisfying than working in isolation. It is rewarding to brainstorm ideas, develop problem-solving solutions, and implement new workflows with others who share common goals. As the saying goes, the whole is a lot more than the sum of its parts.

Julie Gill, PhD, RT(R)(QM)[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"21172","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_4135319214287","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"1421","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"margin: 5px; height: 315px; width: 225px; float: right;","title":"Julie Gill, PhD, RT(R)(QM)","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
President, American Society of Radiologic Technologists 

The American Society of Radiologic Technologists has a long-standing history of collaborating with radiologic technology organizations to spearhead initiatives to improve patient care and strengthen the profession. These partnerships have resulted in some amazing programs that have had a positive effect throughout the entire radiologic technology community.

A great example is the Image Gently campaign. As a member of the Alliance for Radiation Safety in Pediatric Imaging, we’ve developed programs that are increasing awareness about the opportunities to promote radiation protection in the imaging of children.

In addition, we have solid ties with the organizations that accredit healthcare facilities and educational programs, and we’ve developed relationships with federal and state legislators. These partnerships have helped us stay current with trends in professional practice, education and health policy, and established our place at the table to participate in important discussions about issues that affect patient care and the radiologic technology profession.

Our partnerships are crucial to our members and affiliates as well. ASRT members represent all of the radiologic technology disciplines and specialty areas, so they look to us to develop customized educational materials to help them stay up-to-date on medical imaging and radiation therapy trends. In addition, we rely on affiliates to keep us informed about frontline issues affecting their practice, and they rely on us to provide them with the support they need to succeed in their states. Our ongoing collaborations with vendors, equipment manufactures and other radiologic technology organizations helps us develop the tools and services our members need to succeed in the workplace.

On a personal note, relationships are critical to me as an educator. The people I work with - such as our clinical affiliates and agencies - allow us to offer students high-quality education with hands-on clinical experiences. This ultimately benefits patients because the students we’re educating are competent and prepared to provide top-notch care when they enter the workforce.

Cynthia Sherry, MD
Chair, Department of Radiology
Texas Health Presbyterian Dallas 

The most powerful partnerships enable us to do more and to be more together than we are individually. 

Radiologists are engaged in a wide variety of different partnerships every day. To name a few, we are in partnership with our hospitals, where we should try to align our incentives and goals so we can both be successful; we are in partnership with our referring staff, and should collaborate to provide the best possible care for our patients; we are also in partnership with all the other professionals across our specialty, and together we have brought amazing, lifesaving imaging technologies and procedures to American healthcare that have advanced our specialty to the center of the modern healthcare team. 

It is crucial for us to constantly nurture all these different partnerships so they can flourish and become all they can be. Today, with all the uncertainties of the Affordable Care Act and the impending shift from volume to value, the synergy resulting from strong partnerships is key. 

Saurabh Jha, MD, MRCS, MS[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"12328","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_2029136385314","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"463","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"float: right; margin: 5px;","title":"Saurabh Jha, MD, MRCS, MS","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]
Assistant Professor of Radiology and Cardiovascular Imaging
Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania

Radiologists find themselves juxtaposed between multiple sets of stakeholders, whose goals are sometimes, not always, in opposition. These include referring clinician and patients, patients and anxiety-provoking media, technology and payers, payers and policy makers and policy makers and clinicians. Being in the middle can place considerable strain on the radiologist, but seen differently, it is an unprecedented opportunity for value and empowerment of the profession.

Perhaps the most important partnership radiologists need to rekindle is between imaging interpretation and clinical context. Radiologists can no longer afford - and I use afford in the very literal sense - to read in a vacuum. There is nothing terribly innovative about this partnership.

Like Galen's division of the circulatory system, this piece of orthodoxy has no immediate mortality. It's the essence of being a physician. We stray from it at our peril.

RSNA 2013’s theme is the Power of Partnership. We asked several radiology luminaries what that meant to them. Here’s what they said.

The Power of Partnership: What Does that Mean in Radiology?

Medic Vision Imaging Solutions Ltd. and BRIT Systems Inc. will launch at RSNA 2013 a new cloud-based service supporting low-dose CT lung cancer screening.

The service will allow radiology departments and practices to perform LDCT screening and obtain diagnostic-quality images without purchasing new iterative reconstruction technology.

The service is based on Medic Vision’s SafeCT iterative image reconstruction system and BRIT’s Roentgen Cloud. The images are forwarded securely to remote service for immediate transformation into diagnostic-quality images. Processed images are then sent back to the network via secure link and forwarded to the customer PACS. The service is available at a pay-per-scan fee for CT scanners of all major vendors, according to the companies.

Medic Vision’s SafeCT uses proprietary, patented 3D iterative image reconstruction algorithms to enhance CT images acquired with low-dose protocols. BRIT’s Roentgen Cloud provides user-managed, virtual DICOM servers to individuals and organizations, enabling users to securely upload, store, share and view studies via any HTML-5 compliant browser.

Medic Vision and BRIT Systems Partner for LDCT Tool

iCAD Inc. will showcase at RSNA 2013 its family of CAD and advanced imaging solutions, including its recently released PowerLook Advanced Mammography Platform.

PowerLook AMP allows radiologists to customize their CAD solution to their work environment. It expands on iCAD’s SecondLook digital algorithm and is the platform on which all future breast imaging CAD offerings from iCAD will be built, the company said. Earlier this year, the FDA approved the use of PowerLook AMP with both the Philips MicroDose and FujiFilm Aspire™ HD Full-Field Digital Mammography Systems.

The company will also highlight SecondLook Premier, an advanced and customizable digital mammography CAD solution. It was designed using a 100 percent digital image database.

The company will showcase its CAD solution for virtual colonoscopy, which has been shown to effectively detect colonic polyps and improve reader sensitivity.

iCAD to Showcase Mammo CAD Solution

Clinical decision support system provider MedCurrent Corp. will debut at RSNA 2013 its EMR-integrated solution.

The OrderRight 3.0 clinical decision support system allows primary care and specialty physicians to access tests and information to ensure the most appropriate study is ordered, the company said. OrderRight helps the clinician improve care planning and treatment, reduce improper utilization and mitigate costs. OrderRight’s ACRselect appropriateness criteria and its Rule Authoring Studio provide a combination of clinical best practices and local rule set control. To assist organizational and clinical leaders, OrderRight provides complete utilization analytics and reporting capabilities.

For radiologists, OrderRight helps practices optimize reimbursement, reduce unnecessary radiation exposure for their patients, and ensure the most accurate diagnoses, according to the company.

MedCurrent Debuts Decision Support System

Medical imaging company aycan Medical Systems will highlights at RSNA 2013 its vendor  neutral archiving, viewing, printing and integration solutions.

Among the products featured is the aycan specialty workstations, powered by OsiriX PRO, including solutions for mammography, oncology and vascular surgery. The workstations provide tools for general diagnostic reading and advanced post-processing, as well as certified plug-ins specific to each field of study, the company said.

The company will also showcase the aycan mobile iPad app, designed to quickly and securely transfer DICOM images from hospitals and imaging centers to on-call and other radiologists and referring physicians. The tool allows for remote review, interpretation and diagnosis of radiological images, review of images at the patient bedside, and distribution and consultation of images. The app has received FDA 510 (k) clearance and European CE-marking.

The company will highlights its aycan store, a PACS/RIS that is a vendor neutral, scalable DICOM archiving and distribution system. They will also feature the xray-pring system, a DICOM paper-print solution.

Aycan to Highlight Workstations, Mobile App

The Academy of Radiology Research will make it easy for RSNA 2013 attendees to contact members of Congress to urge support of imaging research.

,” attendees to the academy’s booth can use a computer or their mobile device to instantly email a member of Congress. The emails will be sent at a time when Congress is debating how to fund the government and end sequestration, the academy said.

This year, the sequestration cuts reduced the National Institutes of Health’s budget by 5.3 percent, a cut that will increase to 7.2 percent next year, according to the academy.

“The NIH is the world’s premier medical research institution, but its record of scientific progress and innovation is currently threatened by unprecedented funding cuts. RSNA attendees can help preserve the future of imaging research at the NIH by visiting the Academy’s booth and sending an email to their Member of Congress. These emails take less than a minute to send but they have a large impact on Capitol Hill,” Renee Cruea, the academy’s executive director, said in a statement.

Academy of Radiology Research to Launch Advocacy Campaign

Radcal Corp. will launch at RSNA 2013 new models of diagnostic X-ray meters and sensors.

The Accu-Gold+ multisensors use stacked sensor technology that allows them to the smallest footprint solid state sensor available, according to the company. Their size has been cut by one third, with increased dose and dose/rate ranges.

The new dual radiographic, fluoroscopic and mammography multisensor,  AGMS-DM+ , is the latest addition to the line. It covers the entire R/F range of 40-160 kV and 20-50 Kv for mammography. The company also announced new calibration data for all the multisensors. Each sensor has its own calibration data making it interchangeable among other Accu-Gold+ systems.

The company will also highlight the Rapid-Gold+ which uses the new multisensors. The new design and the combination of multisensors makes it the most powerful diagnostic meter available, according to Radcal.
 

Radcal to Launch New Meters and Sensors

Gamma Medica will debut at RSNA 2013 upgrades to its LumaGEM molecular breast imaging system, the company announced.

The system will have a redesigned collimator increasing sensitivity by 20 percent, which will accelerate image acquisition and decrease procedural time, the company said. The company will also introduce an improved breast compression system designed to improve patient stability.

Gamma Medica’s LumaGEM detects tumors as small as 5 mm in mammographically dense and other difficult-to-image breast tissue. The technology can visualize tumors surrounded by non-cancerous glandular tissue, the company said, and may be better than mammography for imaging women with difficult-to-detect lobular tumors, scar tissue from previous surgeries, implants and small distant metastases.

Gamma Medical to Show Enhanced MBI System

Claron Technology will announce at RSNA 2013 extended modality support for its universal viewer.

The Nil viewer family includes NilShare for referring physicians, NilRead, which recently received FDA clearance for diagnostic use. The company will announce for the viewers support for high-definition MPEG-4 videos as well as common image formats such as JPEG and TIFF. The viewers also support full Cross-Enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) Integrating and Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) profile, including comprehensive Health Level 7 (HL7) Clinical document Architecture (CDA) documents.

The Nil viewer family is optimized for integration with remote archives, including PACS and VNA, streaming data without caching it, the company said.

Claron Technology Extends Modality Support for Universal Viewer

Agfa HealthCare will release at RSNA 2013 the next generation of its MUSICA image processing software for digital radiography.

The enhancements to its Multi-Scale Image Contrast Amplification software will improve image quality and workflow for radiographers and radiologists, the company said. The new version is expected to be available in March 2014.

With the new version, window level adjustment is no longer required, which allows for easier and faster image reading. Radiologists will also get more diagnostic information from their images, with a high level of detail in the mediastinum, sharp trabecular and cortical bone, a balanced presentation of both soft tissue and overlapping bone structures, visualization of subtle details in the abdomen, and a true representation of implants with clear bone interfaces. The next generation of MUSICA uses a new Fractional Multiscale Processing (FMP) to increase detail, according to Agfa.

Agfa to Release Next Gen MUSICA Software

Advanced Data Systems will introduce at RSNA 2013 a new patient communication portal for its RIS.

The portal will allow patients to contact an imaging center, access forms, and receive exam instructions and results, the company said.

The MedicsRIS portal will present patients with an easy-to-use interface which can be personalized for the imaging center. Patients can request an appointment and obtain forms. Information is stored in the imaging center’s MedicsRIS. Patients can also receive exam instructions, and reports will be available to referring physicians and other authorized users.

The portal is designed to be a time-saving tool for imaging centers and provide enhanced communication for patients, the company said.

ADS to Debut Patient Portal

Consolidation may be the name of the game in medical imaging today, but what’s really behind all the mergers and acquisitions? 

Brian Baker, president of Regents Health Resources, offered up a few explanations, including the price disparity between how much outpatient providers and hospital providers get paid for the same services.

“MedPAC has realized this, and so they’re recommending that those two rates be brought in line with each other,” Baker said, referring to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission which advises Congress on Medicare issues. “And I would guess you can bank on the fact that they’re not going to raise outpatient medical imaging rates to match hospital rates. They’re going to bring hospital rates down.”

So now there’s this short window where hospitals can take advantage of this rate disparity by buying outpatient centers, he said, speaking in a video interview at the recent AHRA 2013 meeting.

What’s more, Baker said, it’s not just about the buyer making a profit – the businesses being sold can benefit from the acquisition as well. In this video, Baker explains why, and whether that’s always the way to go.

AHRA

VIDEO: What’s behind the imaging operations mergers and acquisitions? Brian Baker discusses the why and what to do about medical imaging consolidation.

Why Radiology Operations are Consolidating

As reimbursements decline and imaging facilities look at new profit models, an emphasis on patient satisfaction is on the rise.

“We have to focus and really put an effort in to deliver an experience for our patients,” said Jamie Verkamp, managing partner at (e)Merge Medical Marketing Consultants. It’s especially important to consider patient satisfaction now that reimbursements are tied to patient satisfaction scores, she added in an interview at the recent AHRA 2013 annual conference.

To boost those scores, Verkamp said facilities should start by examining the behaviors of patient-facing employees. She stressed the importance of ensuring imaging centers employ the right people with the right characteristics in the right positions.

“Skills can be taught,” she said, “but behaviors are hard to change.”

In this video, Verkamp shares what she considers to be the top three qualities of patient-facing employees, along with some advice for leaders on how to cultivate those behaviors.

VIDEO: Radiology facilities are increasing their focus on patient satisfaction. Consultant Jamie Verkamp discusses qualities of patient-facing employees.

Key Behaviors of Patient-facing Employees

From dose management systems to wireless DR detectors to high-tech displays, several new and exciting products were on display at the AHRA 2013 exhibit hall. Here’s a small sample.Did we miss a product that caught your eye? Tell us about it in the comments section below.And here’s where to go for more information on each product listed:1. Canon’s RadPRO D2-50RF Dynamic Digital RF System2. Sectra DoseTrack3. Hitachi’s Noblus4. Philips’s IntelliSpace PACS Anywhere5. Sony’s LMD-DM30 and LMD-DM50 Radiology Displays6. Hologic’s Horizon DXA7. Konica Minolta’s AeroDR8.Â  Kubtec’s XPERT 409. Del Medical’s EV800 Elevating, Four-Way Float Top Table10. Carestream’s DRX-Revolution Mobile

Slideshows

10 New Tools from AHRA 2013

In today’s competitive healthcare environment, radiology groups are increasingly seeing the need to promote their services to referring physicians and patients. This can be a little out of the comfort zone for many radiology groups, and it can be hard to know where to start and how to ensure a 

Yes, we have a comprehensive strategic marketing plan.

No, we don’t see the need to market our services.

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