How one tertiary care center converted its interventional radiology suite and enhanced imaging utilization
Converting a single fluoroscopy suite to a hybrid CT/angiography system improved both diagnostic and interventional radiology utilization at a large academic tertiary care center, according to a new case study.
University of Chicago Billings Hospital and University of Illinois College of Medicine researchers totaled the number of IR procedures and diagnostic CT exams completed before and after the project for their findings, published on Oct. 9. Volumes for both procedures and imaging exams completed each month jumped by 39.2% and 3.1%, respectively, with even larger gains in the once-shared suites.
“These findings demonstrate that the installation of a dedicated angio-CT system increased diagnostic radiologic operational utilization within the rooms previously shared with IR, indicating there was underutilization and potential inefficiency of the scanners within these specific rooms before the global volume increase,” Nicholas Feinberg, MD, with Billings Hospital’s Division of Interventional Radiology, and colleagues explained.
Prior to the redesign, IR clinicians completed CT-guided procedures in two rooms that were used primarily for diagnostic imaging, resulting in continuous workflow interruptions. The goal of the project was to afford radiologists a diagnostic-only room while interventionalists could have their own angio-CT suite for imaging-guided procedures.
To gauge their success, Feinberg et al. compared utilization across 29 rooms (20 diagnostic rad, seven IR, and two shared) in the 24 months prior to the switchover to rates in the 12 months after the conversion.
In addition to gains in overall utilization, CT exams performed in the previously shared rooms jumped by 46.7% after the switchover, while angio-CT procedures increased by 12%.
Feinberg et al. suggested these efficiency improvements may be explained by the economic principle of specialization, which relies on producing a set amount of goods to optimize production.
“The process reduces the inefficiencies associated with mixing diagnostic CT scans with interventional procedures on one unit with respect to scheduling and timing,” they added. “Furthermore, specialization limits the geographical issues of walking between different physical workspaces to perform interventions.”
The gains seen in this project may not be applicable to all centers, the authors noted. Leaders must also weigh their operational and fixed purchase costs of an angio-CT unit against potential utilization gains before making major changes.
Overall, the team said their results demonstrate the potential economic benefit of an angio-CT system.
“The findings of this study support the statement that operational utilization increased in both DR and IR sections, potentially justifying the added expense of this advanced imaging equipment,” Feinberg and colleagues explained.
Read more about the project in the Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology.
Matt joined Chicago’s TriMed team in 2018 covering all areas of health imaging after two years reporting on the hospital field. He holds a bachelor’s in English from UIC, and enjoys a good cup of coffee and an interesting documentary.