Dear PACS Insider,
Utilizing telemedicine technology in radiation oncology can enable more efficient review of cases and enhanced multispecialty collaboration, particularly for institutions with remote satellite locations. And it may also reduce clinical errors, according to researchers from Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) in New York City.
MSKCC recently developed an integrated radiation oncology telemedicine platform that allows users to simultaneously view images from a radiology PACS, participate in live videoconferencing with physicians and physicists, and access treatment planning systems. A pilot study evaluating the system at two regional sites found favorable results.
Our coverage of this integrated radiation oncology telemedicine platform, to be presented by Dr. Boris Mueller at next month's American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) meeting in Chicago, is the subject of this month's Insider Exclusive. You can access the article before it is published for the rest of our AuntMinnie.com members by clicking here.
In other articles we're featuring this month in your PACS Digital Community, learn more about how the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador concluded that PACS, at least within its health system, is likely be more expensive than film -- specifically, $2.65 (Canadian) per study more. You can find that article by clicking here.
Also, be sure to check out the latest installment of consultant Michael J. Cannavo's Building a Better PACS series. In Part 4 -- Warranties and Liability, Cannavo shares his strong opinions on disclaimers for warranty and limitations of liability included in PACS contracts.
We also have coverage of a recent study that quantifies the IT challenges many institutions face in handling the imaging studies of transferred patients. Researchers from Brigham and Woman's Hospital in Boston found that IT-related problems accounted for at least 35% of repeat CT exams performed on patients transferred to their emergency department. For that article, click here.
Do you have a topic you'd like to see covered or are you interested in submitting an article to AuntMinnie.com? Please feel free to drop me a line.
