Identifying chokepoints is key to providing optimal PACS performance

Michael Lunsford, CEO
Spectrum PACS Services

Michael Lunsford – has been a practicing IT-based PACS administrator in a multi-hospital system with over 15 years of combined IT and PACS Administration, PACS network design and Nuclear Med, MR and CT field engineering experience with companies such as Siemens, Picker and Park Medical. He developed software, called DICOMetrix, which is a complete software platform for analyzing and monitoring radiology, cardiology, PET /CT, teleradiology any DICOM based images delivery system made by any manufacturer. He founded the DICOMetrix company in 2005 and remains its CEO. In 2013, he formed a consulting services company called Spectrum PACS Services that offers the expertise of his and other former PACS vendor support engineers and other IT gurus on his team to provide affordable expert-level help in all aspects of PACS systems performance. 

Q. What do you see as a couple of key issues facing PACS administrators for 2015?

NORC issues report on HIE progress in six states

PARCA eNews – Dec. 29, 2014 – National Opinion Research Center (NORC) released its latest case study report as part of the evaluation of the State HIE Program. The study involved more than 100 interviews with HIE participants about what is working, and what isn't in HIE. One of the major takeaway messages is that states need to play a central role in leadership, coordination, collaboration, and policy development to identify local health IT needs and gaps.

Coding déjà vu all over again

ICD-10 will be implemented Oct. 1, 2015

Marilyn Tavenner

PARCA eNews – Dec. 15, 2014 – Seems like only yesterday everyone was getting ready for ICD-10, but then last July, under pressure from health care providers who felt they could not meet the 2014 deadline, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) issued another extension setting a new deadline of Oct. 1, 2015.

As a result ICD-10 implementation was once again a topic at RSNA 2014 (click on subevent  MSAS21A). While much has been reported on getting ready for ICD-10, there has been relatively little coverage of what benefits ICD-10 will have for health care. 

New federal health IT strategic plan for interoperability open for comment

PARCA eNews – Dec. 10, 2014 – The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) issued the Federal Health IT Strategic Plan for 2015-2020 on Dec. 8 and is open for comment. 

The Strategic Plan serves as the broad federal strategy setting the context and framing the Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap that will be released in early 2015. The Nationwide Interoperability Roadmap will help to define the implementation of how the federal government and private sector will approach sharing health information.

Highlights from RSNA 2014

PARCA eNews – Dec. 6, 2014 – The theme of the RSNA 2014 that wrapped up Dec. 5 was “A century of transforming medicine.” It is sometimes useful to take a step back and look at how much imaging has advanced over the years. Following the introduction of ultrasound in 1955, CT or computed axial tomography (CAT scan) machines in 1972, the first PET scanner in 1975, and MRI in 1977, the first PACS systems were unveiled at RSNA in 1982. Today, in addition to continuing advances in those technologies the trends seem to be focused on the global challenges facing imaging professionals, including integrating imaging systems into enterprise imaging, informatics and “big data.” 

Top five trends at RSNA 2014 as noted by HealthImaging, Aunt Minnie, and Diagnostic Imaging:

PACS administrators should lead strategic shift to enterprise imaging

Paul Chang, MD, University of Chicago
Medicine

As many health care organizations move from radiology-centric PACS systems to enterprise imaging, the challenge of making it all work to improve workflow for providers and patients requires a paradigm shift in thinking, says Paul Chang, MD, professor of radiology and vice chair of radiology informatics at the University of Chicago Medicine.

Dr. Chang has been a leader in imaging informatics and is a sought after speaker at major health care IT symposia including HIMSS, SIIM and RSNA, where he will be presenting and leading several discussions at RSNA 2014, Nov. 30 - Dec. 5. He is an outspoken advocate for strategic thinking in the development of health care enterprise IT.

“The PACS administrator must establish a comprehensive framework, a strategic perspective toward enterprise imaging,” he told PARCA eNews by phone. “It is not just how to get images outside the firewall, or how to get cardiology online, what is needed is a reproducible methodology."

News Roundup

HIMSS Submits Comments to NIST on Cybersecurity Infrastructure Framework RFI

PARCA eNews – Oct. 28, 2014 – HIMSS submitted comments to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in response to its recent request for information (RFI), "Experience with the Framework for Improving Critical Infrastructure Cybersecurity."  HIMSS outlined a roadmap for addressing the three general areas of the cybersecurity framework outlined by NIST. In brief summary the points HIMSS made included:

RSNA to celebrate 100 years at 2014 annual meeting

Final registration deadline for North America is Nov. 7

PARCA eNews – Oct. 28, 2014 – The 100th Scientific Assembly & Annual Meeting of the Radiological Society of North America, Nov. 30 to Dec. 5, will host more than 50,000 attendees from around the world, at McCormick Place in Chicago. Among other highlights of the meeting, Francis Collins, MD, PhD, director of National Institutes of Health will deliver the keynote speech.

What You Need to Know About PACS and VNA

            Graphic courtesy of  Offsite Image Management

PARCA eNews – Sept. 4, 2014 – As facilities face demands for greater information sharing, Meaningful Use compliance, and increased efficiencies, VNAs are on track to become indispensable utility players. And, sales data proves it – according to an October 2013 Research and Markets report, the global VNA market is set to balloon from $165 million to $335 million by 2018. 

Small changes add up to big energy $avings in the radiology department

PARCA eNews – Sept. 30, 2014 – In a single institution study, radiologists found that small steps to save energy in the radiology department saved $11,629 over a 12-month period. The small steps amounted to shutting off equipment when not in use.

The study by the radiology department at St. Vincent's University Hospital in Dublin, was published online Sept. 4, 2014 in the journal Academic Radiology.