RADIOLOGY WORKFLOW SOLUTIONS Growing “Big and Strong” together IT Development driven by Needs and used with Pleasure The imaging center for radiology-nuclear-medicine-radiotherapy Soest, radiox for short, has one of the most modern facilities for radiotherapy in Germany. The imaging center is linked to the hospital Maria in Soest since their foundation in 1998. 21 doctors and 150 employees in Soest and four further locations attend both out- patients and inpatients in close cooperation with more medical utilities in the region. Communication between the facilities is supported by the RADIOLOGY INFORMA- TION SYSTEM (RIS) from the supplier medavis. It controls the complete workflow, communicates internally with the modalities and externally with the hospital infor- mation system (HIS). This simplifies the work for the medical employees and for the patient it means to have a holistic treatment, fast diagnostical decision-making and optimal therapeutical strategies without waiting time. Digitalisation ensures growth everyone enlisted in the treatment must work together. Soon after the foundation of radiox in 1998 it was clear Collaboration includes talking to each other and pro- in the doctors’ mind that they have to grow wider and viding information, and in doing so we already have establish new sites in the western Sauerland in order reached the backbone of our daily work: RIS” states Mr. to treat patients professionally and economically. Dr. Krambrich. “Both doctors as specialists have profile Hence the five founders decided to digitalise the based access to the relevant patient files from each analogous documentation of the patient file to simplify PC at all sites. They organize their days via worklists information flow and management tasks. In April 2000 and support each other wherever possible, even across medavis RIS was introduced initially to 30 work- sites. This collaboration between colleagues is surely a stations for ca. 50 employees. “Creating awareness factor of success of our imaging center and RIS allows was the most difficult task”, remembers Dr. med us to easily live it.” Thomas Krambrich, who is one of the founders of the imaging center at the site Soest. “As a senior physi- IT as Permanent Companion cian I already had experience with working PC based The radiox team currently has 21 radiotherapist, radi- and I realised that all signs are pointing to digitalisa- ologists and nuclear medicine specialist as well as over tion. It really was not easy to persuade the colleagues 150 employees. RIS is established as the central infor- to change something that functioned manually very mation platform that has every document and report, well. The hurdle in the form of employee-scepticism even those from the referrer, available. From the initial was overcome quickly. After RIS supported billing and contact with the patient on the phone to appointment patient data filing successfully, PACS was connected in allocation, examination, evaluation, service entry and 2002. Nobody had something to say opposed to the billing as well as documentation; everything is controlled opportunities of the digital picture evaluation” says centrally with RIS. The DIAGNOSTIC PATIENT CENTER, Dr. Krambrich. Due to the collaboration with the hospi- which provides the complete examination and evalua- tal Maria in Soest, the next step in digital evolution was tion history of the patient, is available for every user. clearly visible: “The HIS was connected so that we were Information that is relevant for the current case can able to exchange reports and therapy referrals with our be selected quickly via a filter. “We take care of many colleagues from the hospital.” Radiox gradually opened patients for years, the files are therefore voluminous. more sites in Arnsberg, Unna, Brilon and Hamm. With RIS helps me to find the information I need in the increasing size, the size of the IT infrastructure also current context”, says Dr. Krambrich. “This increases grew and became more complex. Speech Recognition the quality of my work and saves time. A rewarding has been integrated along with scanners and more mo- investment for sure was the INTEGRATED SPEECH dalities. The IT today is supported by its own staff. “Our RECOGNITION. Due to the software I dictate directly in goal has always been and will always be, to focus on RIS, correct errors and release the evaluation, report the patient’s needs. For a patient to feel comfortable, or letter. In doing so, 90 percent of all reports are done © 2015 medavis GmbH. All rights reserved. RADIOLOGY WORKFLOW SOLUTIONS the same day and can be sent to the colleagues in the come from the supplier. After radiox’ service portfolio hospitals, ambulatory healthcare or imaging centers. was extended to radiotherapy, a software for documen- The users even have fun with their digital work due to tation was purchased for it. The radiox team, who was the intuitive user interface. used to working with RIS, Even visiting physicians love assigned medavis to devel- the system because they op a new interface for bi-di- get used to the work with- rectional data exchange. On in 30-45 minutes and are the one hand from medavis able to work independent- RIS to a radiotherapy sys- ly from the second day on. tem to transfer patient mas- That radiox runs smoothly ter data in order to avoid a has also to do with the or- manual registration. On the ganization for appointment other hand from the radio- allocation. “With the sched- therapy system to meda- uler, our call center is able vis RIS in order to have all to find gaps and react relevant parameters from hereon. If a patient does the executed radiotherapy not come, waiting patients available for billing and the are preponed. The next step is to phone a patient on physician’s letter in RIS. the waiting list and if possible get him or her a sponta- neous appointment”, summarises Dr. Krambrich. Trust in medavis RIS and the Future Collaboration works well, in both directions” says Dr. Up to date for Ideal Usage Krambrich. He is pleased, that the decision for medavis The medavis RIS is developed continuously. Each up- in 1999 was the right one. “The support is outstand- date provides an improved and functionally enhanced ing, quick and competent. I state this also on behalf software. Updates are installed mostly automatically of my colleagues in the IT.” The trust Dr. Krambrich and users are informed via Release Notes about im- and his colleagues have in medavis was visible also provements. Beyond that, the radiox employees take in 2013 when they ordered medavis to install a new place in workshops. “The software is developed con- PACS. “Communication is very important in our lives. tinously, not only by the aspects we as long-term user Especially at work I’m pleased to have nice and compe- brought to medavis’ attention but also by the wishes of tent people on the side of our system provider who un- other users or improvements of technology.” In order derstand us. The point in radiology is to communicate that medavis users can use the software at ideal terms successfully with other medical vendors like hospitals, on the most recent version, medavis offers its custom- medical service centers and registered doctors. We ers a special consulting service. “A medavis employee need our IT so that the communication functions well. has a look at our workflow and analyses our processes”, For the future I wish that the potential of the IT will be explains Mr. Dr. Krambrich. “He finds out, which func- used even more and that we e.g. quickly implement tions of the system are used in which way. The result the digital physician letter”, concludes Dr. Krambrich of these analyses shows us new possibilities to work on the issue of IT in radiology. simpler and more efficient. medavis offers a very valu- able service”, says Dr. Krambrich. Changes do not only medavis radiox Medizinische Informations Systeme GmbH Radiologie-Nuklearmedizin-Strahlentherapie Soest Bannwaldallee 60 ▪ 76185 Karlsruhe ▪ Germany Walburger-Osthofen-Wallstr. 17a Tel.: +49 721 92910-360 59494 Soest ▪ Germany [email protected] ▪ www.medavis.com Tel.: +49 2921 3913001 ▪ www.radiox-med.de 114, 10787 Berlin Kurfürstenstr. Media Group, Source/Photo: HIMSS © 2015 medavis GmbH. All rights reserved..