3 Tips to Increase Imaging Center Profitability

Today, the complex and increasingly competitive environment demands more than just high-quality services at imaging centers. To improve profitability, these centers require strategies that will enhance their efficiencies, enabling them to accomplish more while cutting costs.

Despite the challenge, diagnostic imaging remains one of the most effective ways to diagnose medical issues and evaluate the health of different body parts in a patient. Imaging centers need to identify unique strategies that help improve efficiency and cut costs.

Here are a few tips that imaging center managers and radiologists can use to improve their bottom line.

1. Optimize Scheduling and Workflows with Nova RIS

What is Nova RIS?

Novarad’s radiology information system, Nova RIS, is a web-based system that streamlines workflows, improving productivity in radiology departments.

Integrated with Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACs), Nova RIS enables imaging center managers and radiologists to work seamlessly with patients.

How does Nova RIS optimize workflows and improve profitability?

Nova RIS technology strengthens key relationships that are important to an imaging center’s profitability. To specify, the robust doctor portals enhance communication between image center staff and referring physicians. With the help of this information system, image centers can unlock efficiencies in scheduling, simplify image and report sharing, improve prescription management, and facilitate the management of procedures and directions.

Integrated business analytics on the Nova RIS system also provides imaging center managers and radiologists with insights into trends and procedures in the physician-referring space. With these insights, imaging centers can adopt cost-effective procedures and trends in referring physicians.

Nova RIS systems optimize workflows by increasing productivity among physicians and staff. Radiologist departments can minimize unnecessary paperwork, no-shows, interruptions, and errors. Due to built-in modality worklists, real-time alert and sync mechanisms, e-forms, patient notes, and HL7 integration, image centers can minimize or eliminate costly errors. Ultimately, increased productivity improves an imaging center’s profitability.

Through improved patient experience, Nova RIS systems also help imaging center managers and radiologists better their bottom lines. With the integration of self-scheduling systems, customizable patient reminders, and crypto charts enabling patients to view their reports, image centers can manage all stages of their patient’s journey. The approach helps decide what strategies should be adopted to improve patient experiences, which subsequently enhance client retention and profitability for imaging centers.

Success achieved with Nova RIS

A recent case study of the West Houston Radiology group confirms the benefits of Nova RIS systems. One year after adopting the Nova RIS system, the West Houston radiology group provided customizable services to its clients and improved efficiency and workflow. The center achieved a return on its investment in the same period, marking the benefits therein for imaging centers.

2. Improve Efficiency with NovaPACS

What is NovaPACS?

NovaPACS is a platform designed to enable physicians to read and compare images without moving between workstations or locations. With its advanced capabilities, like 3D and mammography, radiology departments have an all-in-one workstation to view CT, PET, MRI, X-ray, and more.

How does NovaPACS improve efficiency and profitability?

With NovaPACS’ additional features, imaging center managers and radiologists can unlock efficiencies and improve profitability at their centers.

Thanks to different storage models, including onsite and off-site (cloud-based) storage models, customers employ hybrid storage systems that help improve their efficiencies. As Novarad’s engineers add customer-requested features, continually improving NovaPACS features, the system promises more efficiency and profitability.

NovaPACS system also puts into consideration different workflows adopted by different radiologists. To enhance each radiologist’s efficiency, the Novarad software provides millions of likely workflow combinations. This ensures support for the unique workflows within imaging centers. With the system deploying sets of role-based features and preferences, imaging center managers can achieve higher efficiencies by availing each staff member with easy-to-use and -access tools.

Also, NovaPACs provides a feature-rich and web-based viewer that enables imaging center staff to read, dictate, and create reports. This feature improves efficiency and improves image center profitability.

Novarad provides consistent upgrades and disaster recovery and ensures 99.99% uptime. Coupled with highly efficient US-based support, the NovaPACs system makes sure that imaging center managers and radiologists can offer seamless services, improving efficiencies further and ensuring imaging center profitability.

Successes achieved with NovaPACS

At the Jackson Purchase Medical Center, employing the NovaPACS system enabled the 100-plus bed center to save time, increase efficiency, and deliver quality services. Leveraging NovaPACS information sharing and picture archiving systems, the center has enhanced convenience and improved workflow.

According to Phyllis Redd, imaging director at Jackson purchase, the NovaPACS system is a time saver for physicians, technicians, and patients. With the system, staff members can access images on any computer or mobile, saving time and legwork. The director also pointed out that the NovaPACS voice clips feature improved workflows by cutting reliance on telephone tags. It eliminated hours spent waiting for physicians to call back.

Due to these efficiencies, the Jackson Purchase center saves time and cost, improving its profitability.

3. Transform Medical Information Sharing with CryptoChart

What is Novarad’s CryptoChart?

Novarad’s CryptoChart is an image-sharing solution that allows imaging centers to share medical images and records via simple but highly secure QR codes.

With the QR codes, physicians and patients can easily access their records and images from anywhere and at any time.

Transforming information sharing and improving efficiency and profitability

Novarad’s CryptoChart simplifies the sharing of critical patient information. It enables instant information sharing by eliminating CDs, passwords, or loggings. Using simple QR codes, physicians can share images and reports with great ease, similar to sending a text message or an email. With the ease of sharing information, imaging centers can improve workflows, enhancing profitability.

CryptoChart also improves efficiency and profitability by expediting patent care and improving patient safety. By reducing instances of reimaging, the transformative information-sharing solution ensures that physicians can easily access key reports and images. With improved patient care, imaging center managers and radiologists can reduce client turnover, improving their bottom lines.

Also, CryptoChart eases the burden for IT staff and systems with twenty-five-character encryption and randomized passcodes. Notably, patients or referring physicians must provide an access code to grant access to the shared images and reports. With the reimagined image-sharing solution, healthcare centers comply with HIPAA guidelines. Due to the unique access codes, imaging centers simplify monitoring the use of Protected Health Information, ensuring that patient rights are observed in accordance with state laws.

Strict adherence to HIPAA guidelines with Novarad’s CryptoChart improves efficiency and prevents expensive breaches. Ultimately, these translate to increased profitability for imaging centers.

Success achieved with CryptoChart

Recently, MedTech Breakthrough—a market intelligence organization that awards outstanding technologies in the healthcare space—recognized Novarad’s innovative CryptoChart solution. For eliminating the manual, inefficient, and cumbersome CDs in image sharing, Novarad’s CryptoChart received the 2020 MedTech breakthrough award for best new radiology solution.

Waverly Health Center also contracted Novarad to install CryptoChart in its facilities. Its Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems scores are among the highest among US hospitals. The facility’s inpatient satisfaction scores fall in the top 25% of all healthcare facilities in the nation.

Here at Novarad, we believe that the key to a successful imaging center is to work smarter, not harder, to deliver the type of care and outcomes that patients desire.

To see how we can help improve your workflows, feel free to reach out to our workflow specialists today!