Compassionate PACS: How agile radiology platforms reduce clinical stress

This is the final piece in a three-part series on picture archiving and communication systems (PACS) in the cloud. Part one discussed the general advantages of cloud infrastructure for PACS, and part two explored how reallocating PACS resources to the cloud reduces expenses.

For many years, radiologists have faced a perfect storm that’s making their job more stressful and contributing to burnout across the field.

Demand for imaging services has increased for several reasons, from expanded insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act to a greater need for follow-up imaging amid higher survival rates for cancer. The volume of complex imaging services such as MRI and CT scans has risen compared to studies such as chest radiography and ultrasound. Though attrition rates in radiology aren’t higher than other specialties, not enough residents are matching into radiology, which contributes to a workforce shortage.

As health systems initiate efforts to reduce burnout in radiology, they must consider the impact of their technology stack. Legacy PACS solutions can place an operational burden on IT teams, contribute to sunk costs for maintenance, and force radiologists to use disparate on-premises tools with disjointed workflows and performance limitations. Adopting a cloud-based PACS positions health systems to bring greater efficiency and resilience to imaging, helping to address these issues

Adopting a cloud-based PACS positions health systems to bring greater efficiency and resilience to imaging. These solutions can help radiologists work more efficiently, facilitating greater and more immediate access to diagnostic tools, and patient exams from wherever they have access to diagnostic monitors.   Additionally, health systems can more easily and quickly adopt and deploy automation tools that help reduce reading and reporting times. Simply put, radiologists can get more done in less time – and increase their impact on positive patient outcomes.

Here’s a closer look at five ways an agile PACS platform such as GE HealthCare’s True PACS on Amazon Web Services (AWSS) can reduce stress for today’s radiologists.

Streamline workflows with automation. Artificial intelligence tools can help radiologists advance through worklists, take measurements, and evaluate clinical data. True PACS further embraces automation with auto-next workflows that reduce the reliance on manual worklists and AI-based reading protocols that set up exams automatically. A study from one private practice radiology group found that using such features increased radiologists’ efficiency by 20% while mitigating the risk of error from misinterpreting an image.

Adapt to complex workloads. Along with streamlining workflows, AI tools make it possible to render 3D images quickly. This lets health systems support complex and compute-intensive imaging formats such as tomosynthesis mammography. Storage and computing resources available from AWS can also support the increased volume of imaging studies that’s possible as efficiency increases, enabling radiologists to provide valuable – and sometimes life-saving – services to more of the patients they see every day.

Offer uninterrupted access. If imaging experiences downtime, ICU and emergency department operations screech to a halt, and radiologists cannot care for patients in need. The 99.999% uptime of AWS coupled with robust disaster recovery capabilities from True PACS provide uninterrupted access to imaging systems and make seamless workflows possible. Beyond the impact on day-to-day operations, such uptime helps health systems maintain accreditation and ensure high-quality care is available to all.

Simplify the experience. Legacy systems come with legacy interfaces that aren’t intuitive to end users trained on modern technology and often stand between the clinician and the patient. Radiologists benefit from a UI that lets them manage multiple states with a single click and request a consultation without having to open another application. True PACS also allows for remote reading and distributed workloads, which further helps radiology teams use the resources available to support their work.

Adopt new technology quickly. Adding cutting-edge process automation, image evaluation, or decision support tools to legacy radiology systems can be a serious undertaking – if it can be done at all. It often involves significant custom development and a need for new infrastructure. Cloud-based platforms provide scalability and flexibility to adopt new technology with minimal impact on existing operations. This lets radiologists apply the latest advances in the field to the care they provide to every patient they see.

Many health systems seeking to modernize imaging infrastructure think about the financial and operational advantages a transition to the cloud can provide. There are clear clinical benefits to cloud-based PACS as well – benefits that empower radiologists to meet the growing demand for imaging services while directly addressing the inefficiencies that cause burnout.

About AWS

Since launching in 2006, Amazon Web Services (AWS) has been providing world-leading cloud technologies that help any organization and any individual build solutions to transform industries, communities, and lives for the better. AWS for Healthcare & Life Sciences is the trusted technology and innovation partner to the global healthcare and life sciences industry, providing unmatched reliability, security, and data privacy. For more information, visit aws.amazon.com/health.

About GE Healthcare

GE HealthCare is a leading global medical technology, pharmaceutical diagnostics, and digital solutions innovator, dedicated to providing integrated solutions, services, and data analytics to make hospitals more efficient, clinicians more effective, therapies more precise, and patients healthier and happier. Serving patients and providers for more than 125 years, GE HealthCare is advancing personalized, connected, and compassionate care, while simplifying the patient’s journey across the care pathway. For more information, visit gehealthcare.com.