Looking at the Present - and Seeing into the Future - of Digital Technology in Physicians Practice Groups

(as featured in Medical News)

 

Only a few years ago, digital technology and advanced services such as CT and MRI were almost exclusively the province of hospitals and large imaging centers. Today, however, there is a growing trend for physicians' practice groups to offer digital imaging services in their offices. In addition, the potential of digital technology and the ability it offers physicians' groups to interact and share health-related information with hospitals, clinics, research organizations, etc., is of increasing significance and only beginning to be tapped.

Both of these issues are of growing importance to physicians' practice groups. So, Richard Whistine, Healthcare Information Technology Specialist, and Jeff Peterman, Medical IT Consultant, have offered to share their expert insights. Both are with Raynostix, a company based in Louisville, Kentucky that provides imaging equipment and services to hospitals, imaging centers and private physician practice groups across the country. It was also the first company of its kind to create a dedicated Healthcare Information Technology Group to deal specifically with the unique complexities of digital technology for the healthcare market.

Advanced digital imaging in the physician's office

As Whistine explained, "We're seeing a strong trend toward more noninvasive diagnostic imaging taking place outside of hospital outpatient facilities and in private physicians' offices or imaging centers. According to a recent study reported in the February 2009 issue of the Journal of the American College of Radiology, private office imaging utilization rates between 1996 and 2006 grew by 71 percent among non-radiologist physicians, and 44 percent among radiologists." The hospitals' share of the market is slipping.

"There are a number of reasons for this shift," said Whistine, "including the belief that many patients prefer having their imaging done in the convenience and familiarity of the physician's office. But the primary reason is that the cost of the technology has moved to a price point that makes it more feasible for the private physicians' to provide these services. It used to be that a basic PACS, or Picture Archiving and Communication System, product cost around $400,000. Now, technology has matured and is far more affordable to the physician market." Physicians' practices have moved into more technologically advanced services. "In addition to digital x-ray systems," said Whistine, "more offices are bringing in MRI, CT and ultrasound, which bolster their net revenue."

Benefits of in-house digital imaging

In-house digital imaging offers many advantages. "Rather than having to wait while images are developed, physicians can view the high resolution digital images immediately." said Whistine. "They can also be securely shared for outside consultation." He added that digital technology simplifies the transmission of data back and forth from hospitals. "We are really just now bringing doctors' technology to the point where hospitals have been for a few years. They can now share and compare images and information in a similar format."

Redundant storage is essential to any medical practice as well as for HIPAA compliance. Losing a patient's records could be disastrous and leave providers with nothing to use for comparison or patient history in the future. PACS, much like an electronic medical record, enables physicians to share digital imaging within the office or with specialists anywhere. As Peterman explained, "A PACS system allows you to transmit images digitally into your network, where they can be archived and retrieved at workstations throughout the practice or securely accessed from outside the practice. They can also be securely transmitted for review, going directly to radiologists' or other specialists' imaging systems. A PACS system makes image retrieval much simpler than if your images were stored on film, CDs or DVDs."

What's the next step?

If a physicians' group is considering moving to digital technology, Peterman recommends working with someone who specializes in its installation and application in the healthcare arena. "The needs of healthcare are unique," said Peterman. "HIPAA regulations, for example, require networks to be secure and firewalled. Data must be encrypted when sending it from one system to another. In addition, a lot of software and certain languages, such as HL7 and DICOM, are specific to healthcare. For a successful conversion to or expansion of digital technology, you need someone who has in-depth experience in healthcare, interfacing one system to another, and creating gateways to move data from one point to another. It is the best way to ensure that your technology meets your needs, remains compliant with changing regulations and gives you access to information that will help you provide leading-edge patient care."

Return to Thinking About Going Digital?