Decision Support
-Selection of imaging procedures is a key cost driver in Radiology.
This for the most part depends upon the education of the referring physician. Decision support in order entry can greatly assist.
-ACR appropriateness criteria- applies values for exam to a clinical condition.
Also includes a relative radiation level for each procedure.
-rather than allow a secretary to order the exam the physician is required to order the exam so she can receive feedback from the decision support order entry system to help them avoid low yielding exams.
-Virginia Mason uses a imaging decision support tool with check boxes to guide the ordering physician to order the correct exam.
– ER setting is challenging due to time constraints
-CPOE for radiology is a helpful way to integrate a decision support system into the workflow.
-Medicalis offers a decision support system based on Brigham and Women’s work.

Speaker quotes:
-Education is knowledge when you can’t use it
-Decision support is information you can use when you’re too busy to learn

-accuracy of decision support tool or radiologist separately aren’t as great as the synergy of accuracy when they are combined

Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills for Radiologists
This class wasn’t exactly what I expected but I enjoyed it very much. An interactive workshop on relational and communication skills by Harvard.
Giving Bad News
-must overcome possible communication barrier, relate to patient and deliver news so that patient can understand.
-establish expectations by asking why patient is being seen, find out what they are looking for.
-if Rads don’t connect with patient and require the primary physician to deliver news making the patient wait then they may feel abandoned and in limbo until they get results.
-give patient the option to review results with Radiologist or wait to learn results from Primary.

Relaying radiology dose to patient’s and their families
– relative uncertainty in determining effective dose is plus or minus 40 percent.
– when communicating with patients on dose it is helpful to relate to environmental exposure such as a trip across the country or hiking at high altitude where exposure is higher to the exposure of the ordered procedure
-ALARA is still best approach to radiation exposure
– CT machines are for the most part calibrated using adult phantoms.
-radiologists are often left defending the position of the ordering physician’s decision to risk Radiation exposure leading to the Radiologists also considering the ordering practiononer’s clinical effectiveness.
-Radiologist must sometimes be the gatekeeper when multiple exams are ordered multiplying the dose.

I had the opportunity to chat with one of our great Philips PACS API Vendor Partners here at RSNA. Christine Rorie, Director of Illuminate Client Services (pictured) was kind enough to provide me a demo of the latest enhancements of their software products. Check out their products here:
Softek Solutions Inc.

Softek happens to be located close to home in Prairie Village Kansas!

Thanks Christine!

McCormick Place home of RSNA has a combined total of 2.6 million square feet of exhibit space, 1.2 million square feet all on one level, making it the nation’s largest convention center.
McCormick Place website

The first RSNA travel challenge was to find the Millennium Park Metra Electric train station. Riding the train from our hotel meant a short walk and a 7 min. train ride vs. a block and a half walk plus 30 to 45 minute bus ride, so a lot was at stake. Being called the Millennium Park station we thought it a safe bet to first look in or around Millennium Park. After verifying this on Google and iOS maps we set out on a walk. We knew we were looking for an underground station, so after having no luck initially finding it decided to stop and ask directions from what we thought a reputable source, a security guard at a local theater. “Oh yes” he said, ” I’ll show you, I ride that train every day to work.” He sent us on our merry way with directions to what we found out after a very long cold walk was the L, the wrong train. I am trying not to believe Chicagoans would have an unwritten rule to always give visitors bad directions, but, after getting a second set of incorrect directions we ended up back at our hotel believing in a new conspiracy theory. We gave up on the train ( for now) and devised a plan to ride the bus to McCormick Place in the morning, and take the train from there back to our hotel in the evening.We couldn’t miss this time since our station was the last stop. Well I am embarrassed to say when we arrived by train and walked up from underground check out the photo below to see where we ended up!

Well here we are at McCormick Place again after our 7 minute train ride and feeling much wiser!

Welcome to my Blog! I decided to share my RSNA 2012 experience and thought this might be a fun way to do it!

First order of business is to welcome my favorite follower (my wife) and wish her a Happy Birthday! Being in the radiology field for over 20 years and having been born on Thanksgiving, she either gets to celebrate on Turkey day or during her RSNA trip! This year it happens to fall on first day of RSNA. Happy Birthday Honey!