Patient-Centered Care in Radiology. In today’s world of flashy new features and complicated equipment, we must remember to stop and ask ourselves, “What is this doing for the patient?”
Jennifer Kemp, M.D., FACR

As a radiologist in today’s evolving global healthcare landscape, I’m grateful for the innovations in medical technology that have enhanced my role in providing patients with an accurate diagnosis. These advancements serve to speed up the path to wellness for my patients, the ultimate reason that my colleagues and I come into work each day.
Metal artifact reduction led to a 20 percent increase in the planning target volume (PTV) in this prostate cancer case from Henry Ford Health System. The volume of the healthy bladder tissue to be spared was also reduced by 4 percent.

Computed tomography (CT) has long been the standard of care for imaging to plan radiation therapy (RT) treatments. 

May 3, 2018 — BWX Technologies Inc. signed a definitive agreement to acquire Sotera Health’s Nordion medical isotope business. The acquisition accelerates and de-risks BWXT’s entry into the medical radioisotope market by adding licensed infrastructure, approximately 150 highly trained and experienced personnel, and two production centers to BWXT.

Cardiac MRI being performed at the DeBakey Heart Hospital.
Recent MRI technological advances have opened up the possibilities for greater cardiac use of the costly imaging modality
Pie Medical’s cardiac MRI perfusion functional imaging CAAS MRV software for quantification.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for cardiac assessment provides a radiation-free alternative to other commonly used modalities like computed tomography (CT) and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). Cardiac MRI (CMR) offers greater contrast and image clarity than CT, does not require use of a contrast agent and allows radiation-free perfusion imaging. The technology does, however, present challenges unseen with other modalities. It remains the most expensive of all imaging exams, largely thanks to the length and complications of the scan itself. Furthermore, the use of magnets has traditionally made MRI inaccessible for patients with implanted medical devices.
Radiology PACS Systems comparison chart. Picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) are used to route digital medical images and reports.

The concept of picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) has been part of radiology since the early 1970s. The technology has provided a way to hold and view large volumes of medical imaging data as radiology has transitioned away from analog image acquisition. In recent years, however, the rise of enterprise imaging has changed the role of PACS, and providers are looking for new, modern solutions, according to a 2017 report from independent research firm KLAS. Surveying thousands of healthcare professionals, the report found that performance from historically popular PACS vendors has declined, and newer market players have begun to set themselves apart.
Clinical contextual data by itself represents only a partial view of the patient record
Dave Whitney

Consolidation of health information is key to providing a comprehensive patient record —not only for visibility across the continuum of care, but also as the record set for value-based care. The advent of the electronic medical record (EMR) has pushed organizations into consolidating and collecting as much clinical information as possible within a single contextual data library. As this data feeds into the clinical data library, it can be visualized as a component of the patient record within the EMR. Traditionally, this contextual data alone could be considered an organization’s health information library. However, clinical contextual data by itself represents only a partial view of the patient record.

As healthcare systems continue to expand through consolidation and the amount of data generated by patients grows exponentially, so does the need to access that data from any location. Remote viewing systems are not a new concept in this landscape, as many picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) have built-in viewers or are accompanied by vendor neutral archives (VNA). But many of these solutions are still tied to the physical premises, limiting their utility outside the walls of the hospital — or even the department.

You may have noticed a few changes when this issue of ITN arrived in your mail! This issue debuts our new look, which was designed to help make its content easier to read, more streamlined and more visually appealing. Please share your thoughts with us!

 

Artificial Intelligence and Radiology

Bundled with this issue is a special supplement on artificial intelligence (AI), sponsored by Philips Healthcare. This supplement, written by industry consultant Greg Freiherr, will take a close look at three key components of AI:

Since 2009, approximately 450,000 women around age 70 in the United Kingdom did not receive final breast screening invitations due to a computer failure, according to a statement from Public Health England. The National Health Service (NHS) is now offering catch-up screening exams for up to 309,000 women ages 70-79 who missed the exam and are registered with a general practitioner (GP).

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