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Flexible Integration
Pluta Cancer Center has been using IMPAC’s radiation and medical
oncology systems since 1998, and when they moved into a newly
renovated facility in 2003, they took IMPAC with them. At that
time, they also acquired a new Elekta Precise MLA, adding a new
IMPAC interface to integrate with it. “A physical move is always
tough,” explained Pluta’s physicist Tim Barry, who has spent a
decade in radiation oncology. “But it would have been a lot
tougher if we’d had to reconfigure all our systems. For us, one
of the best things about IMPAC is that it’s flexible enough to
interface between all our vendors, accelerators, labs, and
different systems.” This is particularly important for Pluta
because it relies on IMPAC to automatically manage so many of
its treatment and business operations, from planning treatment
and delivery to scheduling and billing.
Advanced Capabilities
IMPAC’s lab interface is a particular favorite with Pluta’s
medical oncologists, who must follow patients’ blood work
closely. Before implementing IMPAC’s lab interface, which
automatically enters lab results into patients’ electronic
medical records (EMRs), a full-time worker was needed to gather
results from the lab, get them to the physicians, and enter them
in paper charts. Now, as soon as the lab completes its work, the
oncologists can review the results on their workstations. And
since billing for lab work is built into the IMPAC system, all
charges are also captured automatically. Also appreciated by the
medical oncologists is being able to access EMRs from their
home. On wintry nights when patients enter an ER, their
oncologist can view the patients’ complete charts without having
to navigate Rochester’s snowy streets back to the office. Pluta
recently began using IMPAC’s registry system, which automates
reporting in the formats required by the New York state
registry.
Comprehensive Data Management
“In treating cancer patients today, there’s so much information
involved; fortunately, IMPAC can track all the data all the way
from planning to simulation to treatment,” said Barry. Early in
2004, Pluta also plans to add IMRT, enabling the facility to
deliver higher dosages of radiation to tumors with even greater
precision. Observed Barry, “IMPAC’s new releases reflect good
input from clinical people, and their accelerator interfaces are
extremely helpful since so much data must be sent to a machine.
I don’t see how you could manage IMRT without a system like
IMPAC.”
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Pluta Cancer Center, Rochester, New York
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[Email
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