GE Healthcare Imaging Solutions Increase Workflow Efficiency and Optimize Radiologists’ Time to Help Reduce Burnout

• Intelligent workload management solution for PACS helps radiologists streamline workflow and can increase interpretation production by up to 21%. ¹

• Imaging 360 Platform for Operations reduces patient backlog and AIR Recon DL helps enable up to 50% reduction in scan time to provide a better patient experience and clinician productivity. 

As radiology departments face challenges in a new era of healthcare, GE Healthcare imaging solutions are designed to support clinicians in meeting competing demands for their time and enable greater focus on patient care. Imaging experts are in short supply and high demand while, at the same time, imaging is moving beyond hospital campuses. By 2033, the U.S. alone could fall short by almost 42,000 of the needed radiologists and other specialist physicians ³ and burnout amongst healthcare professionals is a growing issue. Nearly two-thirds (61%) of radiologists suffer from burnout, up from 36% in 2013 to 49% in 2017. ⁴

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“We think radiology is ready for a new paradigm that increases fairness and performance while simultaneously reducing radiologist stress.”

Imaging solutions integrated with artificial intelligence (AI), are aimed at supporting radiologists in meeting these challenges head on, by helping automate complex workload distribution, minimizing workflow steps, optimizing the workforce, and providing improved image quality to reduce scan time.

“Radiologists are eager for the latest tools to keep up with an ever-increasing case load. GE Healthcare is focused delivering on technologies that not only help improve workflow efficiency and reduce burnout for our customers, but also provide better patient care. Our customers consistently ask for ‘fewer clicks’ and for actionable insights, and we design our solutions to meet those needs,” said Jan Makela, President and CEO of Imaging at GE Healthcare.

GE Healthcare’s Intelligent workload management solution is an option for its Picture Archive and Communications System (PACS) solutions, provided by the integration with Helix Radiology Performance Suite, developed by Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates. The innovative intelligent workload management solution, which leverages time-based predictive analytics, can help to optimize the radiologist workforce across an entire enterprise. It’s designed to accurately and efficiently predict and distribute workload to the best active radiologist in real-time to enable improved productivity and help to reduce burnout. The solution adapts to the constant fluctuations in imaging volume and radiologist demand to ensure optimal service level performance. Based on impact analysis at Quantum, it enabled a 16.7% improvement in STAT turnaround time (TAT) (18 min to 15 min), 20.5% improvement in ED TAT (32.2. min to 25.6 min) and a 27.7% improvement in inpatient TAT (132.91 min to 96.04 min). ⁵ These TAT improvements were coupled with up to 21% improvement in work relative value units (wRVU) production per radiologist shift, a common measure of physician productivity often used in determining compensation.

“The current discordance between wRVU credit and the actual work effort required to interpret and report on a given exam promotes inefficient behaviors and leads to dissatisfaction for radiologists,” said Elizabeth Bergey, M.D., President and CEO, Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates. “We think radiology is ready for a new paradigm that increases fairness and performance while simultaneously reducing radiologist stress.”

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“Bottom line, I feel like Helix has my back. At the end of the day, I know myself and my colleagues have put in a fair day’s work and we’ve made a positive impact,” said Dr. Mike Graybill, Interventional and Diagnostic Radiologist at Quantum Imaging & Therapeutic Associates, Inc.

In addition to its PACS solutions, GE Healthcare offers a variety of technology solutions that enhance speed of the radiology workflow, including:

• Imaging 360 for Operations, an ecosystem of applications targeted to specific operational challenges in radiology. Imaging 360 for Operations is designed for core imaging operations functions—protocoling, staffing, analytics, and scheduling. It offers operational analytics, remote scan assistance, protocol management and dose management in one, integrated ecosystem. As healthcare systems have adopted the individual applications now integrated into Imaging 360 for Operations, they have realized shorter wait times for patients, reduced staff burden, and a more efficient workflow. ^(6,7,8) For example, an Alliance Medical operation in the United Kingdom reduced patient backlog, adding 45 additional exams per month without increasing staff burden by analyzing data and adapting scan times. ^(8,9,10)
• AIR Recon DL, a pioneering, deep-learning based image reconstruction algorithm that improves signal to noise ratio (SNR) and has revolutionized MR imaging, which has benefited nearly 5.5 million patients globally¹. By leveraging the raw MR image data, deep-learning technology provides sharper, clearer MR images that are faster and easier to read. Up to 50% reduction in scan time allows for shorter exam times and more patients scanned each day.

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