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Image-Enabled EMR
Going filmless has been a big boon for Bismarck Cancer Center
(BCC). With less time spent in the dark room, and storing films
on a virtual server instead of in physical folders has made for
“a huge savings,” according to Gina Nygaard, BCC director. She
appreciates no longer having to sort through images stored in
folders: “Now, images are searchable by exact description and
finding them is just a mouse click away.” Image-enabled charting
provides image access throughout the chart to provide a complete
picture of patient care.
Comfortable Learning Curve
When it moved from a hospital setting into a new freestanding
facility across the street, BCC
abandoned its old equipment for the latest technology. This
meant adding soup to nuts from IMPAC—scheduling, sequencing,
billing, record and verify, and electronic charting modules.
According to Nygaard, it was stressful for
staff to train simultaneously on all new equipment, but using
IMPAC’s record and verify program made everything else easier.
“I thought IMPAC was a piece of cake,” said Nygaard, “and most
of my staff agreed that out of everything, it was the easiest,
most seamless learning curve we had coming across the street.”
A Single Chart
BCC’s rapid embrace of IMPAC sped it towards its goal of
achieving a completely paperless environment. BCC treatment
charts are already paperless; formerly forced to maintain two
physical charts for patients under treatment, today BCC uses a
single electronic chart divided into two sections. They’re
working on going paperless on their clinical charts as well;
next to be rolled out are IMPAC modules for physician notes and
consults. Having patient records in IMPAC’s EMR format has made
information available at any workstation in the center.
Immediate Access to Images
"I like having the workstations in the clinic exam rooms,"
stated Dr Kathleen Nordstrom. "Patients are impressed when you
pull up their entire electronic medical record, and have all of
their data at your fingertips. It is particularly nice to be
able to review electronic portal images with patients, either to
show them their response to treatment (e.g. a patient with lung
cancer whose lesion is regressing nicely), or simply to explain
why portal images are obtained."
According to Nygaard, the ability to retrieve images
electronically is also a marketing tool in working with referring
physicians. “When we get calls from referring physicians, our
oncologists can be at their desks, pull up the same images and
see, for example, that we treated a certain patient on T3 and so
we can treat her again.
This consultation can take just seconds, and both physicians
are happy.”
Vital for Data Tracking
The amount of data currently involved in today’s high-tech
radiation treatment is far greater than in the past. But being
able to set more treatment parameters is enabling more precisely
targeted treatment delivered to tumors and more sparing of
healthy tissue. Tracking all the data, however, would entail a
huge effort by hand. “Tracking automatic wedges by hand on paper
would be impossible,” said Nygaard. “I can’t imagine even trying
to do it.” IMPAC software makes such tracking automatic and
accurate. |
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Bismarck Cancer Center Bismarck, ND
Gina Nygaard, director, and Kathleen Nordstrom, MD, view
images in exam rooms
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