Communication is paramount in radiology. Ineffective communication can harm an establishment's performance, affect productivity and staff morale, topple patient outcomes, diminish revenue, and damage relationships with referring physicians. In radiology, information technology has proven to be a game-changer for the industry by getting life-changing data across various platforms within minutes.
Verbal communication is part of the workflow process and is equally vital as interactions with software. However, without the proper information technology, oral and written methods of data sharing have proven to be riddled with costly errors that weaken the overall performance of a radiology department. In addition, as patient volumes increase, workflow is directly impacted, and practical, fast communication cannot afford to take a backseat in a bustling imaging center.
Before newer technology, such as picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) and radiology information systems (RIS), there were long delays, and the entire process of capturing an image and getting it into the hands of the attending physician was flawed. Radiology departments had to constantly find solutions to their workflow, data sharing, and storage concerns. The emergence of radiology software that sped up communication and productivity and solved storage and retrieval issues with the click of a mouse was inevitable.
In 2017, a qualitative study among a group of radiographers showed that they believed that technology was a key component to their work, and without it, their jobs would be impossible. The study also revealed that technologists thought technology should be user friendly and easy to learn and operate and provide fast and efficient communication.
Other studies have shown that 23% of technologists felt that their work environment was inefficient and more of their tasks needed to be automated.
It is safe to state that when communication is deficient, staff burnout and errors rise drastically and productivity decreases.
A 2004 to 2014 study to analyze the impact of communication errors on customer satisfaction, workflow, and patient care revealed the types of communication mishaps in a select number of cases from a quality assurance database (the following data is simplified for this article and is not conclusive of the study results):
In addition, there were twenty-one minor impacts on patient care, thirty-four moderate impacts, and eighty-nine major ones in some instances studied.
Effective communication, indirect or direct, verbal or written, impacts patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Gathering the wrong information or incomplete patient data is a type of miscommunication between individuals who receive data from other sources and then input that data into a billing system or by some manual means. Incorrect information about patients, such as diagnoses, clinic notes, and demographics, combined with wrong CPT codes, can cause reimbursement delays or claim denials. In addition, these blunders make a direct path back to the patient in pricey bills and shine a negative light on the radiology department.
The superior communication aspects of IT are critical components in the success of imaging centers. The software can automate redundant tasks, reduce errors, provide suitable options to the end-user, improve reimbursement, and retain and hire highly skilled staff. In addition, specific radiology software systems are essential for improving communication in diagnostic radiology.
Effective communication with software helps provide quality care. In addition, without systems that communicate data within minutes, medicine would lose the battle to save lives. Improving communication in diagnostic radiology is about working smarter, not harder, hence the reason for utilizing the best software systems that meet the needs of any imaging center.
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!