By Elaine Sanchez Wilson
Safety, satisfaction, access, efficiency—these are just some of the indicators that the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have identified as integral in achieving quality, patient-centered healthcare.
When it came time for Adventist Health to switch out its old, analog x-ray systems, the organization didn’t hesitate to search for a primary imaging solution that would enhance healthcare delivery in all these areas, and more. A few years ago, it outfitted its clinics with CR technology from Konica Minolta and staffers haven’t looked back since.
“It was painful,” said John Ferguson, recalling the practice’s former setup, with individual clinics having their own x-ray units. Ferguson is administrative director for laboratory, imaging, and radiation oncology at Adventist Medical Center located in Portland, OR, an Adventist Health hospital. “The film would be shipped by courier over to the hospital to be read 2 to 3 days later by the radiologist, which would delay care.”
Ferguson, who is currently transitioning to a new role as corporate director for laboratory and imaging for Adventist Health Corporation, explained that Konica Minolta’s office-based CR utilizes digital plate imaging within an x-ray room. “In our case, we actually built our imaging suite with the Konica technology in close proximity to our neurosurgery, rheumatology, and oncology clinics so that the images are immediately available to the specialists without the patients having to go to another hospital or imaging center. It’s right there in our physician pavilion. Without having to replicate the technology in multiple locations, it has really expedited care and provided great access for patients who are requiring x-rays.”
According to Ferguson, his organization takes great care to meet certain quality measures, not just because CMS mandates them, but rather for Adventist’s personal mission. “In particular, we prioritize patient satisfaction, which would be a CMS measure, but we also have an internal measure of physician satisfaction, which means getting our results to our physicians quickly,” Ferguson said, adding that 300 physicians respond to a medical staff perception study each year to rate Adventist’s various clinical services and assess physician staff. “We have a strong physician liaison program that goes across multiple disciplines, and we track our referring physician satisfaction every year in multiple domains. I’m happy to say that we’ve been able to achieve top decile performance for a number of years.”
As for patients, the challenge, Ferguson continued, is to continue to provide them with options to improve access in order to accommodate a higher volume along with an enhanced level of service. Turnaround time metrics are closely reviewed not just in the emergency department or hospital-based settings but also in other care areas, such as urgent care and physician office practices. Utilizing various digital platforms, including ones from Fuji, Siemens, and Konica, allowed Adventist to downsize from seven x-ray rooms to four, as the hospital system became more efficient with its resources—which happens to be another CMS quality requirement.
Nevertheless, financial constraints that accompany primary imaging also must be considered, Ferguson pointed out. “We needed to do it at a certain price point because the reimbursement on basic x-ray is low, and you need to do it in such a way that utilizes both staff and resources/equipment in the most effective manner,” he said.
Three years ago, the Adventist subsidiary in Portland turned to Konica Minolta, which already had an established relationship with the larger Adventist Health corporation, to address its demands. Clinical engineering and the technical staff were the key decision-makers in bringing in the technology, which they had demonstrated on-site and observed on-site visits. “At the time, Konica Minolta had the right product at the right price point; there were other vendors that we were talking to but neither one of them had that combination,” Ferguson said.
For radiologists, practice managers, and hospital administrators who are searching for primary imaging solutions that will enable them to comply with CMS quality mandates, Ferguson has some words of wisdom to share. “Try to identify a resource that will provide you with consistent quality and easy functionality for your staff,” he advised. “That is very important.”
