Diagnostic Reading #33: Five “Must Read” Articles on HIT and Radiology

Reading Time: 3 minutes read

Making headlines: patient portals and radiologists have a role in patient centered care.

This week’s articles include: the importance of patient engagement and successful use of online tools; predicting no shows in radiology; radiologists and their part in effective physician-patient communication; what it takes to succeed in cybersecurity; and radiologists’ important role in a new Alzheimer’s treatment study.

What functionalities should patient portal tools have to succeed?  – HIT Consultant.net

Diagnostic Reading summarizes the latest radiology and healthcare IT news.

Although most hospitals experience dismal usage of patient portals—due to lack of both EHR interoperability and patient-desired features—the growth of other engagement solutions such as remote patient monitoring has transformed healthcare for many people. Patient engagement, once considered a lower priority in healthcare IT, is increasing in importance. Consequently, our population’s comfort with online tools will likely increase patient portal usage more once robust features/functionalities, easy usability, and effective promotion become the norm.

No-shows in radiology can be predicted—no crystal ball required – Radiology Business

Patient no-show visits (NSVs)—a significant obstacle for all healthcare specialties including radiology—might be predictable, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Radiology. The study revealed that information available in the electronic medical record (EMR) can be instrumental in successfully predicting NSVs in radiology. The type of exam, in addition to a patient’s prior no-show rate, the modality type, and whether an exam was scheduled two days in advance were strong predictors of an NSV taking place.

Radiologists hold patient communication in high esteem, but do they follow through? – Radiology Business

Radiologists can do their part with effective physician-patient communication, but a survey published in Radiology shows a difference between the values espoused by leaders and the actual practices of radiology departments today. The survey noted that if radiologists do not make a more successful transition to patient-centered care immediately, radiology as a profession will seriously decline over the long term.

How to become a cybersecurity superhero – Healthcare IT News

Many knowledgeable security professionals are going above and beyond to protect their healthcare organizations against cyberattacks. To be successful in cybersecurity, a ‘superhero’ needs a variety of character traits and professional abilities. Organizations need to be flexible in speed and innovation while balancing proper security requirements. Other recommendations include possessing high levels of technical, critical thinking and communication skills.

New IDEAS for Alzheimer’s treatment – ACR’s The Voice of Radiology Blog

Radiologists are playing a lead role with the Imaging Dementia—Evidence for Amyloid Scanning (IDEAS) study. This study follows nearly 19,000 Medicare beneficiaries to determine the clinical value of a PET scan to detect the hallmark brain amyloid accumulation of Alzheimer’s disease. Early results—released during the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in July—show that amyloid PET scans can have a large impact on how Alzheimer patients are managed.

Blog of the week: Clinical Informatics Applications in Radiology – Everything Rad

Medical imaging and radiologic technologists have been frontrunners in the changing healthcare paradigm. What’s next on the horizon? Read the blog by Kori Stewart, MHS RT(R)(CT)(ARRT), CIIP, Clinical Assistant Professor and Clinical Director for the CT, MRI and ultrasound certificate programs at the University of Hartford in West Hartford, Connecticut. She also holds national certifications in general radiography, computed tomography and imaging informatics.

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Check back next Friday for a new issue of Diagnostic Reading. #healthIT #radiology #diagnosticreading #clinicalinformatics