With seven facilities and relationships with 45 different healthcare organizations throughout the Northwest, Inland Imaging in Spokane, WA sees Philips iSite PACS e-radiology program as an initiative for the community that allows it to enhance patient outcomes through fast turnaround, outreach to rural communities, and better communication with referring physicians.
Patients in the region benefit from prompt diagnoses by its 20 radiologists and referring physicians from rapid, informed consultation regardless of distance from the radiologist reading the images.
“We don’t just send referring physicians reports. We don’t just talk to them. They have access to the images,” said Gregory Balmforth, MD, radiologist at Inland Imaging. “I can add arrows or comments that are saved on the images, and when I talk to the referring doctor about the case on the phone, they have access to not only the report but also to the exact same images and annotations.”
William Keyes, MD, neuroradiologist at Inland Imaging, pointed out that another benefit of iSite PACS e-radiology program is that any hospital in the region can send images of stroke patients to Inland Imaging for a neuroradiologist consult to determine if the patient needs to be transferred for further treatment. “Patients can receive an IV TPA to lyse the clot in the local hospitals, and then can be transferred into Spokane for further treatment,” he said. “This is all available to us through Philips iSite PACS.”
Steve Duvoisin, Inland Imaging CEO, credits the e-radiology program for helping grow its business. “It’s really kind of a dream come true for someone trying to market a radiology practice to have the tools that you use be so coveted by referring physicians that they literally choose you partly because you have that PACS system,” he said.
+ Watch the videos about Inland Imaging's experiences
Watch the video about:
+ The Inland Imaging Model of Radiology Practice Management
+ Marketing a PACS System to the Region
+ Deploying and Maintaining a Reliable, Regional PACS System
+ Subspecialty Care Anywhere
+ Imaging at a Rural Healthcare Facility
+ The Service Delivery Model
* Philips does not authorize or approve of use of iSite Radiology or iSite Enterprise with a network not meeting the minimum network specification for these products.