Radiology Information System Integrates Bi-Directionally With PACS, Enabling MDs At Naugatuck Valley Radiology Associates To Work From Any of Six Local Offices

Naugatuck Valley Radiology Associates (NVRA) holds a prominent place in the central Connecticut medical community. The 125-person practice includes eighteen radiologists operating out of six locations--three in Waterbury and one each in Naugatuck, Southbury and Prospect.

Because NVRA's technologists and MDs move about continually among the practice's various regional locations, information access and exchange--especially schedules, images, and reports--are critical. Nearly two years ago NVRA initiated a search for a newer, more comprehensive Radiology Information System to accomplish these goals. After a thorough search of leading products, it made its choice: MedInformatix.

"MedInformatix offers both user-friendliness and customization--two of our most important purchase considerations," said Paul Masotto, Executive Director of NVRA. "We also needed an end-to-end system that would integrate with our other software packages."

MedInformatix RIS, perhaps the most complete system of its kind on the market today, incorporates scheduling, registration, technologist and radiologist workflows as well as billing, EDI, custom reporting, collections and more. To this core package of information and practice management functions, NVRA added several key product options including transcription and mammography tracking as well as integrated voice recognition and PACS.

"Our RIS is the core product for our office operation and practice management," Masotto noted. "It was important for us to find a solution that would integrate routine tasks handled by all our employees across our imaging network. We find that it's extremely easy to transition employees to MedInformatix, whether those people are new hires or have multiple years of experience."

The MedInformatix RIS Scheduling module lets front desk personnel book appointments for any referring office or procedure at any location. System administrators are able to customize templates and alerts to reflect the practice's unique work rules. "Our practice provides services to walk-in patients on a regular basis, which MedInformatix enables us to schedule immediately. MedInformatix is the key component that provides us the flexibility to accommodate these patients," said Masotto.

On the revenue management side, NVRA's MedInformatix system integrates with the practice's clearinghouse provider, ZirMed. "With ZirMed and MedInformatix we can manage authorizations, verify eligibility, submit electronic claims to all carriers that have EDI capability, track and analyze claim status, and accept all remittances electronically," commented NVRA Billing Office Manager, Paula Bates. NVRA, through its affiliation with St. Mary's Hospital in Waterbury, also utilizes a custom batch processing utility supplied by MedInformatix, Bates stated. This has enabled NVRA to import radiology orders, patient reports and charge information directly from the hospital into the MedInformatix practice management system.

User friendly software and the ease for network integration have been key elements of the MedInformatix RIS, observed Masotto. The capability has not only made life easier for the practice's clinical users, but has enabled NVRA to reach its goal of a 100% paperless environment.

"We have chosen to design our radiologist workflow around our PACS, rather than our RIS. MedInformatix has supported our design completely," he stated. "By integrating with our DR Systems PACS and Nuance PowerScribe voice recognition products, MedInformatix enables our radiologists to review images, dictate reports, and sign them electronically. The efficiencies gained, as well as the streamlining of workflow and system integrations, has maintained the quality of our patient information."

NVRA is currently beta-testing multiple new capabilities for its MedInformatix system. One is a Web Referral module that allows referring physicians to submit appointment requests and receives reports via the Internet. Another is a patient portal that is designed to provide patients with access to registration, information sheets prior to arrival, exam information and preps. Also being tested is a corporate dashboard to monitor the pulse of the organization.

RSNA 2009 Exhibit
MedInformatix will be demonstrating its RIS product at the RSNA (Radiological Society of North America) 2009 Annual Meeting, November 29-December 4 in Chicago, from its exhibit at Booth 7336 in the North Hall of McCormick Place. For more information about the MedInformatix RIS, go to http://www.medinformatix.com/Products/radiology_information_system.htm.

Source: MedInformatix

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