Editor's Note: Nine Letters Big Change
It isn’t often that a magazine changes its tagline — and probably even less often that a reader even notices. But now is the time. This month we’ve added nine letters — knowledge — that add up to big change for imaging and IT, advancing clinical practice and caring better for patients. Images, information and knowledge across the enterprise is our new cynosure.
For five years, we’ve been writing about the growth of digital imaging modalities as well as the proliferation and evolution of IT-based healthcare solutions such as PACS, RIS, CPOE, speech, structured reporting, EMR, CAD, advanced visualization and many more. Knowledge begins with these tools. But they are simply the enablers – it is a combination of tools, clinical expertise, shared experience and measured improvement in care that build knowledge.
PACS, RIS, CPOE, speech and structured reporting combine to smooth workflow and provide auto-populating, comprehensive reports that with one click are sent electronically wherever needed. CAD strengthens the report by pointing out, measuring and characterizing lesions and lesion changes. MIP, surface rending and MPR (with conferencing capabilities too) allow physicians to gain key perspective and plow through thousands of CT and MR images that would be impossible to view in a timely manner without them. Stacked mode and linked stack mode allow radiologists’ eyes to see more, faster. The EMR rounds out that patient history, labs and meds.
Knowledge also leverages data mining tools to dissect patient records, outcome studies and clinical trials to provide clinical decision support. It channels the deluge of data that can obscure the important information. It increases workflow efficiency, department productivity, patient throughput, image analysis and simplifies access to, interaction with and storage of data.
It provides one stop access to the most detailed picture of patient health.
When people truly work together, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Knowledge is the jewel of imaging’s collective toil.
Mary joined TriMed Media in 2003. She was the founding editor and editorial director of Health Imaging, Cardiovascular Business, Molecular Imaging Insight and CMIO, now known as Clinical Innovation + Technology. Prior to TriMed, Mary was the editorial director of HealthTech Publishing Company, where she had worked since 1991. While there, she oversaw four magazines and related online media, and piloted the launch of two magazines and websites. Mary holds a master’s in journalism from Syracuse University. She lives in East Greenwich, R.I., and when not working, she is usually running around after her family, taking photos or cooking.