A growing volume and variety of patient information created a big challenge for leaders at CHRISTUS Health. “We needed to make patient information readily available to clinicians while also managing it within a long-term storage solution outside the departmental picture archiving and communication system (PACS),” said Lynn Gibson, vice president and CTO at CHRISTUS.


New research published in the June issue of Global Heart, the journal of the World Heart Federation, shows that there are no significant differences in the incidence or severity of atherosclerotic disease (narrowing of the arteries with fatty deposits) between ancient and modern people, proving that atherosclerosis is not just a disease of modern times. The journal included three articles [1,2,3] on the finding of the Horus study, which used computed tomography (CT) scans from ancient mummies to compare arterial calcification caused by Horus atherosclerosis.

Innovation was the theme at the recent 2014 annual meeting of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) in Austin. Its education and professional programs offered attendees the opportunity to gain practical knowledge on emerging technical and professional issues, and the scientific program featured the latest research on the physics of medical imaging and radiation therapy.  

September 3, 2014 — Teleflex announced a newly published clinical study demonstrating the accuracy of the Arrow VPS G4 vascular positioning system, with placements of peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs), can eliminate the use of confirmatory chest X-rays.

September 3, 2014 — GE Healthcare announced commercial availability in the United States for its new Logiq e ultrasound system. The new system features a programmable probe with buttons on it that allow for simple, fast and precise use of portable ultrasound at the point of care.

As the radiology industry continues its conversion towards a value-based model, imaging enterprises are under increasing pressure to simultaneously raise their levels of quality and efficiency in order to remain competitive. In fact, regardless of how well they may be performing today, they must continually refine and improve so they can retain customers and attract new business in the future.

 

Based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Associated Radiologists LLP is the city’s largest provider of medical imaging services. Formed in 1946, the organization is made up of three clinics around Saskatoon, with a fourth clinic located about 100 miles north of the city in Prince Albert.

With 24 radiologists and nuclear medicine physicians on staff, Associated Radiologists reads over 350,000 studies per year and counts a number of  hospitals as clients, including St. Paul’s and City Hospital in Saskatoon, and Victoria Hospital in Prince Albert. Additionally, the organization reads for 30 rural hospitals.

Until 2009, all of the reads conducted at Associated Radiologists’ private clinics were done using film. As keeping up with the daily flow of studies became a daunting task, the decision was made to transition towards a digital environment.

From the start, Associated Radiologists benefitted tremendously from IntelePACS’ reliability and ease of use.  Its Web-based architecture provides rapid access to current and prior exams and reports, but also increases the speed at which results are transferred to referring physicians, particularly those located in remote areas.

“We have cases where a patient has had an ultrasound done in a hospital 170 miles away and the report is in the referring physician’s office before the patient has left the hospital,” said Kelly Prodanuk, business manager. “The physicians frequently say, ‘How can they do that?’. It makes us look very good, that we can provide a high level of service in rural communities, which have struggled to get that kind of patient care.”

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