Imagine a trauma patient gets sent to a community hospital where their scans show the need for higher acuity care than is available at the hospital. The patient is transferred to Texas Children’s for the right care, but, as for most trauma patients, time is of the essence, and a matter of minutes could make all the difference in the outcomes.
The MRIs, CAT scans, or x-rays which are usually sent via CD and could easily be lost or misplaced, can now be uploaded directly from the referring hospital into a cloud software now available at Texas Children’s called LifeIMAGE. In the digital age, LifeIMAGE streamlines the process of receiving and evaluating images from other physicians and hospitals. These images can be quickly, easily and safely uploaded to the system straight from the imaging device.
“It has allowed us to provide more timely interpretations of outside studies,” said Dr. George S. Bisset, radiologist-in-chief. “Before the patient even gets here, the clinical care team is prepared.”
“The software allows our providers to review any imaging studies performed at the transferring hospital prior to the patient’s arrival,” said Trent Johnson, director of Ambulatory Services. “This means that we can better anticipate the care needs of the patient before they ever arrive. This saves us valuable time, which is of the essence for seriously injured patients.”
On top of time savings, the new system reduces radiation exposure for the patient who before could be subject to new scans upon arriving here. The double dose of radiation was costly and kept physicians from acting as quickly as possible. The benefits have been seen across the system.
“In the outpatient clinic setting, it has reduced the amount of time that our clinic staff and providers must wait to download and view an outside image or study,” said Johnson. “This increases patient and provider satisfaction by improving the throughput and efficiency.”
The use of this image-sharing network could also help prevent unnecessary transfers. For example, a patient visiting their community hospital in Midland can get their scans directly transferred to Texas Children’s for physicians here to determine if a transfer is necessary.
The system also allows for patients from around the globe to receive second opinions without ever having to leave their home country.