Dear PACS Insider,
Can PACS qualify as "meaningful use" of healthcare IT, as required to receive U.S. government IT stimulus funds? Many argue that it can, and researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston recently made their case.
In a project that documented seven years of experience with enterprise-wide PACS, the group found that a variety of clinicians across many departments, medical settings, and locations used PACS at an increasing frequency over the study period. And usage of PACS functionality grew while film costs declined, said Katherine Andriole, PhD.
Find out all of the details in this edition's Insider Exclusive, which you can access before the rest of our AuntMinnie.com members by clicking here.
In other news we're featuring this month, many believe that PACS adoption has fundamentally altered the relationship between radiologists and clinicians. With increased access to images and a growing comfort level with their own image interpretation skills, some clinicians may be less likely to consult their radiologist colleagues -- unless they have a solid professional relationship. What can radiologists do to maintain a prominent role? A research team from the University of California, San Francisco has some suggestions, which you can read about by clicking here.
Also, Italian researchers are experimenting with the use of smartphones for reading CT and MR images in teleradiology applications. Click here to learn about their early results.
Speaking of mobile devices, iPads are showing promise for a number of radiology applications. But is primary interpretation one of them? A team from the University of Maryland in Baltimore shared its thoughts in a recent presentation, which we've covered here.
In related developments, a recent survey found that radiologists are increasingly adopting wireless tablet devices. However, implementation at most organizations seems to be in the early phases.
Meanwhile, another survey, this one of CDs and DVDs carried by patients with their own images, found a number of problems related to access, importability, and viewing issues.
Also, find out how the iPad fared when matched with commercial-grade LCDs for assessing tuberculosis. And if you haven't already, make sure to check out consultant Michael J. Cannavo's popular PACSman Awards from the 2010 RSNA meeting in Chicago.
Do you have a topic you'd like to see covered in your PACS Digital Community, or are you interested in submitting an article to AuntMinnie.com? Please feel free to drop me a line.
