June 2, 2014 — MedInformatix announced at the annual meeting of the Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) that it is bringing its next-generation technology to clients using its provider and patient portal applications integrated with OneDX software. Advanced Radiology Consultants (ARC), a Connecticut-based radiology practice, first implemented the MedInformatix Radiology Information System (RIS) 7.5 in 2010, as part of an effort to bring new levels of efficiency to its practice, deliver a higher level of patient satisfaction and qualify for Meaningful Use incentives.
A determining factor in Advanced Radiology’s selection of the MedInformatix RIS was the unique “mix and match” capability of a variety of add-on modules to the system, including highly functional portal applications. A specially designed Provider Portal allows referring providers to request appointments, review reports and receive images according to their delivery preferences, as well as the ability to transmit patient reports to physicians handling follow-up care in rehabilitation or nursing facilities or other medical practices. The fully integrated Patient Portal allows patients to request appointments, submit pre-appointment demographic information and review imaging procedures and read radiologist reports via their Web browsers.
“The portals give us an element of connectivity between our physicians, patients and practice that we never had before,” said Chris Craft, chief information officer at Advanced Radiology Consultants. Craft’s practice recently completed an integration earlier this year of the MedInformatix system with OneDX, the software application suite that enables physicians and patients to securely access and share medical images and reports quickly and easily on any device from anywhere in the world. For patients, they gain on-demand, on-the-go access to their images from any communication device they choose, providing them new levels of control over their healthcare and healthcare decisions.
Physicians are also enjoying the benefits of the integration. For instance, Craft says ARC has a significant number of patients who split time between Connecticut in the summer months and warmer destinations during the winter. Previous interaction between physicians in each location was time-consuming and often delayed care as patient verifications needed to be established and patient imaging information routinely had to be downloaded onto discs and sent via mail between practices so that physicians could adequately review patient charts prescribe courses of treatment.
The MedInformatix-OneDX integration eliminates the process and allows physicians in both locations immediate access to patient images using the OneDX zero-footprint viewer solution via the MedInformatix Patient Portal. “Now that we have integrated our technologies, it is mind boggling to think of the hoops we once had to jump through in order to deliver patient care,” said Craft. “The process is now virtually seamless, and issues of time and distance have been eliminated.”
According to Dennis Condon, chief operating officer at Advanced Radiology Consultants, the practice has noted a significant spike in the number of patients using its Patient Portal. Some industry statistics show radiology practices with targets of 60 to 80 patient sign-ups per week for portal functions. ARC has thousands of patients who sign up weekly and are actively using its portal as a regular channel of engagement, thereby improving workflow and efficiency costs at the practice. Condon credits the MedInformatix-OneDX solution for estimated savings of more than $400,000 a year, just through the elimination of DVDs, equipment and unnecessary staff time, as well as postage costs for sending images between radiology practices and hospitals.
For MedInformatix, the ARC experience demonstrates the ease with which its RIS interfaces and integrates with other solutions. “It has always been our mission to provide the marketplace with products and services that exceed expectations and set new standards for delivery and performance in healthcare,” said Pat McGonigle, president of MedInformatix.
For more information: www.medinformatix.com