Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare in St. Paul, Minn., has installed an integrated radiology information system and picture archiving and communications system to increase productivity and improve workflow.
The independent, not-for-profit hospital, with six clinics and more than 1,600 referring physicians, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of children and young adults with orthopedic, neurological and other serious conditions.
The hospital tapped Rochester, N.Y.-based Carestream for the new technology.
"The Carestream RIS/PACS significantly increases radiologist productivity and convenience and also equips us to minimize the chance for error through use of a single patient work list," said Bonnie Wold, manager of imaging services at Gillette. "The PACS also provides orthopedic measurement tools – including an advanced Cobb angle – that are extremely important for our specialists and surgeons."
The PACS workstations are installed in clinic exam rooms and each of the five surgical suites, giving physicians and surgeons immediate access to images and comparisons.
"Our orthopedic specialists review imaging studies and measurements during clinic visits in the exam room, so they can talk through each child's treatment plan with the parents," Wold said. "That's why it is so important that the orthopedic tools are fast and easy to use."
Officials say the RIS/PACS will also enable Gillette Children's to achieve an efficient, paperless workflow.
"Our radiologists no longer have a paper order in front of them," Wold said, "They log onto the integrated workstation, click on the work list and bring up the associated patient images."
Because the specialty hospital has such a large referral volume, the staff scans radiology reports and digitizes film exams or imports exam information from DVDs and CDs into the PACS, making it possible for referring doctors and radiologists to quickly and easily review prior reports and exams in conjunction with the current imaging study.
Wold views the flexibility of the Carestream RIS/PACS as an important advantage.
"Most RIS/PACS platforms are designed for adult hospitals, but this platform is so flexible that it easily accommodates the needs of our specialized pediatric facility as well," she said.
