Diagnostic Reading #8: Five “Must Read” Articles on HIT and Radiology

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News update: health IT boosts economy; radiologists get high ratings from patients.

Diagnostic Reading summary includes: overcoming hurdles to sharing patient data; radiology’s role as a value center; HIMSS survey shows health IT is boosting the U.S. economy; a report from the first HIMSS Cybersecurity Forum describes different types of attacks being launched on healthcare facilities; and patients gave high ratings to U.S. radiologists in study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology.

Overcoming hurdles to sharing patient data – Radiology Today

Recent advances in imaging technology deliver benefits for radiologists as well as healthcare providers and their patients. Enhanced interoperability has enabled off-site nighthawk radiology coverage.

Also, large radiology practices can now serve rural as well as metropolitan areas—delivering access to subspecialists in all markets.

Radiology’s role as a value center: how to excel in quality and accountability – Radiology Business

In national efforts to reduce healthcare expenditure, radiology is often seen as a cost center. However, it is actually a value center that can empower health systems to provide value-driven patient care. Utah-based hospitals and clinics integrated two systems for imaging operations to create a model for enterprise-wide radiology. This system is integrated, comprehensive, and completely transparent to the entire health system, tracking metrics around clinical and academic outcomes. It incorporates powerful analytics to examine costs, productivity, and quality in all areas and pulls in regional and national benchmarks to guide decisions.

Health IT a ‘bright spot’ in U.S. economy, HIMSS survey shows – Healthcare IT News

Not only is health information technology helping providers and patients, it also is having a positive impact on the U.S. economy. A new HIMSS report shows that the majority of healthIT employers grew or at least maintained the size of their IT workforce over the past year. Sixty-one percent of vendors/consultants and 42 percent of providers reported IT staffing increases. The majority of respondents across both groups said they expect to further increase staffing or hold steady over the next year.

6 takeaways on healthcare cybersecurity from 2017 HIMSS Forum – Becker’s Hospital Review

The first HIMSS Cybersecurity Forum attracted several hundred healthcare professionals. Attendees spent entire day learning about the different types of attacks being launched on healthcare facilities, common vulnerabilities, the need to join IT technology with people and process to create a strong defense, and ways in which the cloud can provide greater security.

AJR satisfaction survey: patients give thumbs-up to U.S. radiologists – Radiology Business

Patients gave U.S. radiologists high marks for staff, punctuality, knowledge, and helpfulness in a study published in the American Journal of Roentgenology. The study of data from www.RateMDs.com reviews found that radiologists in the Northeast U.S. scored higher than radiologists elsewhere when it came to staff and punctuality.

Check back next Friday for a new issue of Diagnostic Reading. #healthIT #radiology #HIMSS #HIT