Radiologists are clinicians consultants. We direct clinical management based on our expert interpretation of patient images. Yet, in many cases, radiology reports may not reflect our clinical expertise. Common problems include overuse of vague terminology and omission of the impression. Addressing these flaws can go a long way toward meeting clinicians needs and improving patient care.

More facilities have turned to virtualization and cloud data storage as part of the comprehensive disaster recovery plan.

In the era of health IT and meaningful use, many providers are looking for a one-stop shop to house all their cardiovascular reporting needs. However, in terms of the cardiovascular information system (CVIS), most users reported that their system was only 65 percent complete, and most are still looking for an all-in-one solution to meet their needs, according to an October KLAS report titled, Will the Complete CVIS Please Stand Up?

Armstrong County Memorial Hospital in Kittanning, Pa., has selected DR Systems' Unity CVIS to meet its cardiology department's CVIS needs.

The College of American Pathologists (CAP) has contributed to the expansion of the Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) medical image exchange standard, Supplement 145, for the accommodation of pathology.

In the current era of healthcare reform, spawned by the funding made available in the HITECH Act of February's stimulus package, there has been much discussion about producing transparent and quantifiable data on the performance of various departments.

For cardiology PACS, the explosion of cardiac-related advances across imaging modalities has created demand for expanded capabilities beyond simple image storage and distribution, providing physicians with access to patient-specific information related to images and reports within the facility or externally. Meanwhile, with this increased volume of image data, cardiologists also need to have access to more extensive patient data, such as hemodynamic monitoring, EKG and electronic medical record (EMR) information to create structured reports.

Cardiovascular information systems (CVIS) are providing the means to integrate the business of cardiology with the practice of cardiology at the point of care—with great results for managers.