From the July 2019 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine

2. Select the right imaging equipment
When selecting the right radiology equipment for your imaging rooms, take time to choose the imaging product best suited to improve your workflow and imaging needs. The average lifespan of digital radiography equipment is 20 years, so it is critical to make a well-informed decision. And the right imaging equipment can help reduce x-ray exam times and increase patient comfort. When selecting the right equipment make sure to ask questions like:
• How many exams will be performed on the equipment each day?
• What are the sizes of the patients, and can the x-ray table support their weight?

• Are your patients generally ambulatory or are they in wheelchairs?
• Are there any room modifications that will be required to accommodate the new equipment?
• Do you need to image bariatric or pediatric patients?

Success story: In 2018 alone, PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Gamma Knife Imaging Center in Springfield, Oregon invested in nine new radiography and fluoroscopy imaging equipment installations in order to accommodate the high volume of patients they see, and the 697,322+ procedures they perform, according to Definitive Healthcare data. Known for being the “best incision-free brain surgery center,” this imaging center typically treats patients with their Gamma Knife technology which targets brain tumors with radiation. Generating around $9.4 million in total Medicare payments, this imaging center is ostensibly successful, efficient, and perfectly positioned to continue to grow — with help from its newly installed C-arm X-ray machines and general radiography X-ray systems.

3. Improve the patient experience
In a consumer-oriented healthcare landscape, your processes should revolve around the patient experience: improving the check-in process, sharing test results as quickly and transparently as possible, and even convenient parking! When the patient journey is organized and streamlined, your department’s operational efficiency will also improve. And with financial incentives like MACRA and MIPS affecting providers’ bottom line, it is more important than ever to focus on quality care and patient satisfaction. These days, imaging centers are turning toward technology to improve the patient experience:
• Incorporate an easy-to-use appointment scheduling software for patients to book their appointments on your center’s website.
• Offer patients the option to fill out paperwork online, on their patient portals, or via email prior to the appointment. If patients complete their paperwork before their visit, waiting room times for both patients and providers are reduced.

July 2019 Magazine

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