Case Studies: Radiology
East Orange General Hospital is a designated Safety Net Hospital, a vital healthcare resource serving a largely uninsured, Medicaid-enrolled population residing just outside Newark, New Jersey. Like all Safety Net Hospitals, East Orange faces the difficult battle of delivering services to critically injured patients along with specialty care and diagnostics to a community that has no financial resources to support it. In this world, the entrance to the hospital is through the ER.
This 215-bed institution has not only survived, but is thriving, thanks in large part to the vision and business acumen of its executive team. Much of the thriving has resulted from strategic partnerships with vendors committed to cost-effective solutions. When East Orange analyzed its Radiology Transcription performance, it saw many workflow related issues: 24-hour delays from dictation to transcription, unhappy physicians, chronic staffing shortages, and high payments to outside firms handling overflow.
In January 2007, East Orange engaged Precyse Solutions to handle its Radiology Transcription services. The key, first-step of this relationship was the implementation of PrecyseNet® and PrecyseType®, web-based workflow engines that are combined with best practice management processes. Integrated with the hospital’s McKesson HIS, the Precyse system accepts orders from the McKesson Radiology module and communicates results back, linking everything to the McKesson-generated order number.
With improved technology in place, Precyse and East Orange developed a workflow that supported timely access to data for patient care decisions and streamlined hospital processes. Performance measures were put in place and contract terms were drafted to guarantee that the quality of the work and the turnaround times remained consistent. The thresholds defined required Precyse to meet or beat industry standards. A thorough transcription quality audit processes now occur quarterly and the tracking and reporting of critical results has been improved.
East Orange Now Reports:
- Quality Level - 98.5%
- Turnaround Time - 6 hours
- STAT Turnaround Time - 2 hours.
Tom Ciccarelli, CIO for East Orange, notes that the time from order to transcription has improved by 60 percent. Physician satisfaction and quality of care have improved significantly. Ciccarelli attributes these accomplishments to Precyse, which he describes as “the finest, most exemplary company I have ever worked with.”
Precyse and East Orange have worked collaboratively to improve the performance of its Radiology team and the timeliness of care delivery. This collaboration has also resulted in cost savings for the hospital, which have contributed to its transition from a bankrupt institution to one that is now profitable.