RT have evolved with EMR

Role of Radiology Technologists with Electronic Medical Histories

Written by Ronny Bachrach on April 23, 2014. Posted in Digital Radiography and PACS

The advent of Electronic Health Records and other documentation technologies has allowed the Medical Imaging industry to expand in health care. More than ever before, radiologists are utilizing EHRs that successfully integrate scan results into patient records with ease. When clinical documentation is comprehensive, the continuum of care can be improved overall.

Many health care employees can have access to EHRs, but a new study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology underscored the value of radiology technologists over referring physicians when it came to clinical histories. The results, discovered by researchers from the Department of Radiology at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Ohio, were gleaned from a newly designed initiative to improve the consistency of radiologists being provided complete medical histories.

When imaging specialists decide to conduct Diagnostic Radiology examinations at outpatient and emergency department settings, a full health history is necessary to determine the justification of the scan. With campaigns such as Imaging 3.0 from the American College of Radiology advocating a reduction in repeated exams, studies like these can be valuable to improving the quality of Digital Imaging procedures.

The new protocol designed by lead authors Matthew Hawkins, M.D., and Christopher Anton, M.D., considered clinical history complete if it contained three elements: injury description, duration of symptoms and location of the pain. Essentially, their parameters could be considered a “what-when-where” of medical conditions. Before the project began, the researchers found that only 38 percent of radiological exams were accompanied by complete medical histories. Following the new system, however, that number rose to 92 percent after 15 weeks and 96 percent after seven months.

Keeping an eye on technologists
Their results show that clearly defined elements of clinical histories improved the consistency of comprehensive records being utilized in outpatient facilities. However, it’s important that lead radiologists keep an eye on the information being entered into EHRs.

AuntMinnie.com reported that a radiology technologist in Macon, Ga., recently pleaded guilty to one count of felony computer forgery and 10 counts of misdemeanor reckless conduct, receiving at least five months in jail for marking almost 1,300 mammograms as normal when they had never been interpreted by a radiologist.

The technologist’s indiscretions were discovered when a quality check of mammography exams at the Perry Hospital in Perry, Ga., found inconsistencies with scan results. Specifically, the check found that hundreds of procedures had been processed by the employee without having them read by a radiologist. Of the 1,289 mammograms that were submitted to the health system’sPACS, at least 10 were positive for either cancer or growth abnormalities.

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Ronny Bachrach

Ronny Bachrach

Marketing Director at Viztek LLC
Responsible for all marketing activities including, press, advertising, trade show coordination, website management, dealer and customer communications.
Ronny Bachrach
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