promoting Management and leadership Canon DR: Nothing compares in Medical imaging Volume 8 Issue 2 / 2008 April - June Canon DR: Easy as child’s play ISSN = 1377-7629 Unrivalled portability, ultra easy operation, optimal image quality, immediate results ...... the benefits of Canon DR anywhere are unlimited. Maximum efficiency is achieved through a minimum x-ray dose. Only Canon, the inventor of portable Digital Radiography, can offer six years of experience and expertise in the market. See for yourself: Nothing compares. Radiology • CaRdiology • inteRvention • suRgeRy • it • ManageMent • euRope • eConoMy • tRends • teChnology STREAMLINING EMERGENCY RADIOLOGY SERVICES open source PACs Maximising Workstation the a - Z of Cost- decreases Costs productivity effectiveness analysis See it in action now at the ECR 2008 Booth number 105/EXPO A www.canon-europe.com/medical [email protected] Issue 1 Out Now! Cardiology Management is the only hard-copy journal focusing on best practice in management in cardiology departments across the world. Distributed four times per year, this journal is tailored to meet your informa- tion needs on the latest best practices in management topics, such as staff, financial and IT-related manage- ment issues. Issue 1, now available, includes the following articles: Cover Story – Guidelines and their Implementation • Are ESC Syncope Guidelines Being Implemented in Europe? • Heart Failure Guidelines • Overcoming Guideline Implementation Challenges in Europe Features • Evaluating Heart Disease: The Role of Cardiac Imaging Technology Management • IHE Cardiology Technical Committee: Achieve Systems Integration • Report on Remote Monitoring for Cardiology • Market Overview of Cardiology PACS Devices • Mechanical Circulatory Support: New Generation Devices Mark a New Era Call for Abstracts! Call for Abstracts! Call for Abstracts! Call for Abstracts! Call for Abstracts! Call fo Please submit all management-related abstracts to Managing Editor Dervla Gleeson at [email protected]. A full list of desired topics is available from our website. Visit us at www.cardiologymanagement.eu EDITORIAL Dear readers, able to move patients around the hospital, who are receiving resuscitation for multi-organ injury. Delivering a first-class imaging service to emer- gency departments is a major challenge for many The solution has been to place dedicated CT and radiology departments around the world. Tradi- in some cases MR machines within emergency de- Prof. Iain McCall tionally most radiologists are not resident in the partments, but these require constant servicing by Editor-in-Chief hospital and specialists have a large inpatient and radiologists. This isolates the equipment from the [email protected] outpatient workload during the day, which often main department, which in itself poses further lo- precludes providing immediate service to emer- gistical problems, reduces staff flexibility and may gency patients and anything other than an on-call increase the inefficient use of expensive assets. after-hours service. All these issues have resulted in a re-evaluation The European working time directive has also had of the way emergency services are provided. At a a major impact on the availability of radiologists macro level there has been closure of smaller de- to provide a 24/7 dedicated service to emergen- partments and the creation of regional major trau- cy departments. In addition, the massive rise in ma units that can be serviced by all the key clinical the use of ultrasound, multi-slice CT and even services. This has enabled radiology to reorganise MR as immediate diagnostic investigations for a the way the imaging is provided with dedicated multitude of injuries, abdominal pain and stroke staff specialising in emergency work providing ap- have resulted in an explosion of complex studies propriate shift coverage, and the advent of PACS requiring experienced radiologists to interpret. and teleradiology has enabled some of the contin- Traditionally in those hospitals where training of uous urgent reporting to be performed off-site. radiologists takes place, much of the provision of radiological support to emergency departments Ultimately it would be better to have experienced was provided by the trainees with varying degrees radiologists in major emergency departments 24/7 of back-up support by their specialist tutors. who would work as and be recognised as a funda- mental part of the emergency team. Such models are While this model still persists it is increasingly functioning around the world although the lack of untenable as the diagnostic skills required have in- sufficient radiology staff and training posts in many creased and the time juniors have for this work is countries is acting as a barrier to further progress. reduced. It is also unacceptable that juniors’ train- ing in the whole field of radiology should be jeopar- This issue of the journal gives insight into the dised by the need to cover the emergency services. way that major emergency radiology services can be provided in an efficient, clinically- and cost- The high use of CT and ultrasound in the emer- effective manner, and I hope that it provides some gency department has also had a major impact on ideas for those grappling with this previously in- the provision of equipment as it is no longer pos- tractable problem. sible to fit urgent multi-trauma cases requiring vir- tually whole body CT studies into routine CT lists within most departments. Equally it is unaccept- Prof. Iain McCall HAVE YOUR SAY! Letters to the Editor at [email protected] 1 CONTENT Healthcare Economics IMAGING Management Volume 8 Issue 2, April - June 2008 20 Principle Components of Conducting and Reporting a Cost-Effectiveness Analysis: What Every Decision-Maker Needs to Know Dr. S. Ondategui-Parra Features 22 Open Source PACS: Does it Really Decrease Costs of Healthcare IT? Prof. D. Caramella, Ing. Elisa Talini 24 The Digital Age in Medical Imaging: Dr. T. Vogl, Dr. M.G. Mack, Dr. T. Lehnert 26 Sharing Medical Data Across Organisations and Systems Dr. H. Pohjonen Country Focus: Austria 36 Overview, Austrian Health and Hospital System: Towards Managerial and Financial Convergence 39 Management Challenges for Medical Imaging in Austria: The Chairman’s Perspective Cover Story Prof. W. Jaschke 40 Profile of the Austrian Society of Radiological Technologists: Streamlining Emergency Radiology Services Interview with Society President, Dr M. Rosenblattl 12 The Changing Board Exam Schedule in the US: General Radiologists to be Re-homed in the ER Department? 41 Radiology Management in Austria: Dr. S. Baker Profile of the AKH Imaging Department Prof. Dr. A. Staudenherz 14 Restructuring Emergency Radiology Services: Increasing Efficiency and Decreasing Staff Turnover Dr. T. Langli 1 Editorial 18 Streamlining Emergency Radiology Services: By Editor-in-Chief Prof. Iain McCall Collaborative Approach Gets Results 4 Association News Dr. J.O. Johnson Latest updates from leading European associations 8 EU News - CORDIS Launches FP7 Health Research Web Service Editor-in-Chief Correspondents - European Parliament Approves Postponement Prof. Iain McCall (UK) Prof. Frank Boudghene (France) of Controversial MRI Directive Prof. Davide Caramella (Italy) Editorial Board Nicole Denjoy (France) 10 Industry News Prof. Hans Blickman (The Netherlands) Prof. Adam Mester (Hungary) Prof. Georg Bongartz (Switzerland) Dr. Sergei Nazarenko (Estonia) Coverage of corporate news and updates Prof. Michel Claudon (France) Dr. Hanna Pohjonen (Finland) Prof. Albert Cuocolo (Italy) 30 Product Comparison Chart Prof. Nevra Elmas (Turkey) Guest Contributors Magnetic Resonance Imaging Systems Prof. Guy Frija (France) Dr. S. Baker Prof. Marc Kandelman (France) Prof. D. Caramella 44 Imaging Leaders Prof. Lars Lonn (Sweden) Prof. W. Jaschke Prof. Heinz U. Lemke (Germany) Dr. J.O. Johnson Interview with Dr. M. Rosselli Del Turco, President, Prof. Jarl A. Jakobsen (Norway) Dr. E. Krupinski European Society of Breast Cancer Specialists (EUSOMA) Prof. Mieczyslaw Pasowicz (Poland) Dr. T. Langli, Prof. Udo Sechtem (Germany) Dr. T. Lehnert 45 How To… Increase Workstation Productivity Prof. Rainer Seibel (Germany) Dr. M.G. Mack Dr. Nicola H. Strickland (UK) Dr. S. Ondategui-Parra Advice from Dr. E. Krupinski Prof. Henrik S. Thomsen (Denmark) Dr M. Rosenblattl Prof. Vlastimil Valek (Czech Republic) Dr. M. Rosselli Del Turco 48 Conference Agenda Prof. Berthold Wein (Germany) Prof. Dr. A. Staudenherz Upcoming seminars in Europe and beyond Ing. E. Talini Dr. T. Vogl 3 Association News MIR Announces Call for Abstracts Management in Radiology (MIR) has an- Mrs. Amanda Jelley at the following email ad- Congress registration information is available nounced that the deadline for abstract sub- dress: [email protected]. on the MIR website at www.mir-online.org. mission for its forthcoming annual scien- tific congress, to be held in Athens, Greece A preliminary list of programme topics for Registration Fees: from October 29 – 31, 2008, will be Friday, this annual imaging management congress Early Registration - until October 1, 2008: July 18, 2008. will soon be available online. • ESR Member Early Fee: 325 euros • ESR Non-Member Early Fee: 425 euros Submissions should be no longer than 350 The congress will be held in Athens, Greece, words and delivered by sending an email in at the following location: Late Registration - from October 2, 2008: Microsoft® Word format - including purpose/