Use of Radiology Data Mining Reduces Length of Stay 3 Days
Analysis of CT biopsy follow-up data results in better care management
PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Syed F. Zaidi, MD, President of Radiology Associates of Canton (RAC) and Chief Executive Officer of RadHelp, LLC announced today his group, along with hospitalists at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio have reduced patient length of stay (LOS) by 3 days for inpatients recommended for CT biopsy. Dr. Zaidi presented these results in his talk at the inaugural Montage User Group meeting at the University City Science Center in Philadelphia. Using MONTAGE™ Search and Analytics, key performance indicators (KPIs) were discovered and patients were identified and tracked to assure timely and appropriate follow-up care. Use of this data and analysis allows a radiology clinical coordinator to facilitate a patient-centered imaging service, acting as a care manager for patients with positive findings on their CT examinations.
"We have entered into a co-management arrangement with Aultman Hospital through formal shared governance of the imaging service line," said Dr. Zaidi. "Central to this arrangement is a focus on the patient and we've jointly developed and agreed on the performance metrics for the radiology department and the radiologists that contribute to patient-centric care." RAC serves Aultman Hospital and a residency program as well as three community hospitals and offsite locations with 25 radiologists performing 550,000 annual procedures. RAC's Board of Directors pursued this shared governance approach in an effort to change the paradigm of how they worked with their hospital partners given the shared challenges of the economic downturn; competition from regional and national entities and reimbursement cuts on both sides. Under co-management radiology groups can align themselves with their hospital partners under a risk-based, pay-for- performance structure. "We feel strongly that our patient-centered radiology and co-management model adds significant measurable and lasting value to the healthcare delivery value chain and fits in well with the American College of Radiology Imaging 3.0™ initiative."
Radiology's contribution to the reduction in LOS for these patients is manifested in a reduced time of diagnosis to biopsy procedure order from 71 to 29 hours; order to biopsy completion from 52 to 21 hours, and overall diagnosis to completion of procedure from 133 to 50 hours. Given this success, they are now using MONTAGE Search and Analytics' capabilities for data mining and analysis to improve non-displaced hip fracture assessment in the elderly, osteoporotic patient population and analysis of CT angiography for the diagnosis of pulmonary embolism in the ED.
"I feel RAC's and RadHelp's use of data mining and analysis is a powerful demonstration of the opportunities for radiologists to demonstrate and quantify their value in care delivery," said William Boonn MD, President of Montage Healthcare Solutions, Inc. "It's an equally powerful demonstration of how increased value becomes a competitive differentiator."
About Montage Healthcare Solutions
The radiology community is facing numerous challenges and must adopt tools that facilitate the transition from volume-based to value-based imaging. To succeed and fulfill the Imaging 3.0™ imperative, radiologists must address productivity demands while simultaneously adding clinical value to patient care. Montage Healthcare Solutions developed MONTAGE™ Search and Analytics, which provides the radiology productivity, quality and safety improvement tools that will be crucial for ongoing success. Meaningful and actionable quality, outcomes, patient safety and productivity understanding can be extracted from the unstructured radiology narrative in your radiology information system (RIS) and electronic medical record (EMR). Complex clinical quality questions can be easily answered, while the customizable analytics tools speed assessment of business performance and clinical quality. The derived intelligence enables competitive dominance through superior services and enhanced revenue, while enabling radiologists to be appreciated as valued participants in improved care delivery. For more information, visit: http://www.montagehealthcare.com.
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About RadHelp, LLC
RadHelp, LLC was established in 2013 by Radiology Associates of Canton, Inc. This company was formed to provide assistance to radiology groups, private clinics and health care systems with the development of new radiology strategies in the changing health care landscape, particularly in line with the ACR initiative of Imaging 3.0™. These strategies include risk based co-management strategies, radiology population health management, utilization management, and physician and employee engagement services. Dr. Syed Zaidi has been nationally recognized as an innovator in radiology co-management services and a pioneer in radiology population management strategies; as well as a leader in implementing Imaging 3.0™. RadHelp combines clinical innovation, information systems, and business acumen to create an environment transforming volume to value in radiology.
Note: Imaging 3.0 is a trademark of the American College of Radiology
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