Working together across the enterprise

Communication technology has long been credited with making the world “smaller.” But even today, some of the challenges with working across a healthcare enterprise seem quite large.

Radiologists may spend an excessive amount of time trying to get in touch with referring colleagues. It may take too many clicks in the various medical information systems to get at the data needed for an accurate diagnosis. Imaging worklists may not be customizable enough to accommodate a complex practice.

These are just some of the workflow challenges facing modern imaging, but they are not insurmountable.

For instance, innovative practices and vendors are coming up with new tools to communicate results automatically to referrers based on the nature of the findings. Structured reporting is making data more easily accessible. And “smart” worklists are delving deeper than just labeling a case as stat or not, which can have a have a big impact on the speed of patient care as well as a practice’s bottom line.

Many of these solutions will be on display at the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine 2016 annual meeting in Portland, Oregon, taking place Wed., June 29 – Fri., July 1.

In addition to seeing the latest the industry has to offer, you could sign up to participate in the HIMSS-SIIM Enterprise Imaging Workgroup and join colleagues in solving all those pesky issues in imaging informatics. SIIM will also be offering an imaging informatics professional bootcamp to solidify the essentials of the trade, while others may don their #SIIMHacks t-shirts and head to the 2016 SIIM Hackathon.

There’s so much to see and learn, and we’ve suggested just a few can’t-miss sessions. Add them to your to-do list as you prep for your trip to Portland and safe travels!