01.09.2011
Imaging Partners Online was established in response to a national and international shortage of radiologists and increasing demands for after-hours radiology. Almost 5 years later, IPO reports over 4,000 urgent CT scans every month and leads the way in measuring quality and service levels.
In the first month of operations in 2007, with only one afterhours client, Imaging Partners Online
reported 19 urgent, after hours CT scans.
IPO now reports over 4,000 urgent CT scans and 40,000 routine examinations every month for some 80 hospitals and clinics across Australia and the UK.
While a lot has changed at Imaging Partners Online after almost 5 years, there are some things that haven’t changed. True to its founding principles,radiology reporting at IPO is always performed in dedicated reporting centres and always in the radiologist’s normal waking hours.
Now with fully equipped and staffed reporting centres in Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, London and Leicester, IPO ensures that reporting is performed in an environment and a time-zone that gives
the best chance of a quality radiology report.
Regardless of location, all IPO radiologists are FRANZCR and registered in all Australian states. Multiple sites in multiple countries also provide important system redundancy.
At any given hour of the day or night, up to 6 IPO radiologists and a team of Quality Assurance and IT staff is dedicated to reporting every urgent case in the shortest possible time. Quality is measured and maintained through an extensive peer review process, an initiative that has been embraced by IPO’s 50+ radiologists.
‘We’re proud of what we have achieved’ says Founder and CEO of Imaging Partners Online, Bob Sheraton, ‘but I think we’re entering a new phase. The ability to provide a quality 24x7
reporting service is no longer in question. The ongoing challenge for us is to find new or better ways to integrate with our client hospitals and in doing so, lead the way in adding value to our clients.’
22.10.2010To borrow a famous quotation, ‘the sun never sets on Imaging Partners Online’s off-site reporting service’. By clever use of international time zones, Imaging Partners Online ensures that urgent imaging studies are always reported by a fully awake, qualified radiologist, working from a dedicated reporting centre in London, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Imaging Partners Online’s reporting radiologists are awake and at work, so communication with clinicians is an expectation, not an imposition. Medicine in general and emergency medicine in particular is becoming a 24/7 proposition.
Both patients and clinicians have the right to expect access to the same quality service at night as they access during the day and Imaging Partners Online is able to provide that. The Imaging Partners Online model delivers on the fundamental patient care principle that turnaround times for diagnosis and treatments are crucial to patient outcomes.
Imaging Partners Online believes that reporting from a dedicated reporting centre, on fully featured radiologist workstations, with access to 3D MIPS and MPR software, administrative support, secretarial support and IT support gives its radiologists the best chance of making a quality diagnosis. Should things go wrong with IT, several layers of redundancy ensure continuity of service. As well as patient health, Imaging Partners Online is also concerned about patient privacy. In recognition of our commitment to data protection and patient privacy, Imaging Partners Online was recently granted ISO 27001 certification, an internationally recognised data security standard.
Imaging Partners Online provides urgent, off-site reporting for over 70 hospitals and clinics and has been running its ‘around the clock’ service for over four years. Its unique workflow and in-house developed IT has been honed to ensure that every study is reported to a high standard and in the shortest possible time. A rigorous peer review and quality assurance program reinforces that quality and timeliness are equally important at Imaging Partners Online.
22.10.2010 Imaging Partners Online’s ongoing investment in innovative information technology has opened up a world of opportunity for radiology.
Never before has high quality off-site reporting been so readily available seamlessly, 24 hours a day and seven days a week.
With the help of Imaging Partners Online’s in-house developed IT tools and carefully designed processes, Imaging Partners Online now manages thousands of studies every week, safely, securely and reliably. Imaging Partners Online’s particular focus on urgent report turnarounds means that every minute counts and its IT needs to be up to the task.
Security and confidentiality is important in client confidence. As evidence of Imaging Partners Online’s commitment to patient confidentiality and data security, Imaging Partners Online has achieved internationally recognised ISO27001 certification for both its UK and Australian reporting centres. In the UK Imaging Partners Online’s IT innovation has supported the company’s unique workflow and ability to be the first company to obtain approval to send reporting data out of the UK. If sending studies to Imaging Partners Online UK’s dedicated Melbourne or Sydney reporting centres, studies are firstly anonymised and then transmitted quickly and securely to its data centre in Sydney. When signed, the report is transmitted back to the UK and the patient data is updated using a unique identifier. No patient identifiable data leaves the UK.
As with all mission critical IT, reliability and redundancy is crucial. Imaging Partners Online has achieved this by operating only from commercial data centres and purpose designed reporting centres in London, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth.
These reporting centres have levels of redundancy that are almost impossible to achieve in other settings such as home reporting. Secure interfacing with client PACS and delivery of reports, right into clients’ RIS is also a cornerstone of our service. Imaging Partners Online has now connected to more than 40 radiology systems worldwide, using DICOM and HL7 protocols to provide an effective and efficient way of working.
Over three years of operation Imaging Partners Online has developed an off-site reporting service that is second to none. That quality is due in no small part to Imaging Partners Online’s innovative IT. “We’re proud of our technological credentials,” said Imaging Partners Online UK’s Systems Architect, Ronald Li. “At the end of the day what our clients really want to know is that their after-hours service is being delivered safely, securely and reliably.”
22.10.2010 That’s because cases are reported by radiologists in London, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth using international time zones to ensure that radiologists are always reporting during their ‘awake’ hours from a fully equipped and supported reporting centre.
“I find working from a reporting centre incredibly effective,’ said Dr Charles Lott, who is one of four FRANZCR qualified radiologists based on London reporting for Australian Hospitals. “I arrive at Imaging Partners Online UK focused and ready to work, there are no distractions and I have full secretarial support while I’m working and IT support if I need it. Towards the end of a busy shift, it’s also nice to see my colleagues in Australia logging on and picking up cases.”
Dr Jeff Cameron, a FRANZCR and specialist registered radiologist lives in Melbourne and reports for UK hospitals. ”As I have got to know clinicians in the UK, they often comment on the fact that I don’t seem very grumpy for a radiologist working at night,” he laughed. ”They often don’t realise that I’m in Melbourne and working my normal day.”
The Imaging Partners Online around the clock, around the world model has been successfully operating for over three years. A universal workflow and excellent IT ensures that cases are always treated identically, ‘day or night’ and that handovers are smooth.
22.10.2010 Peer review is a cornerstone of modern day radiology, giving definition to the concept of ‘quality’ and ensuring that radiologists are constantly learning about their strengths and weaknesses. Imaging Partners Online has recognised the need to support peer review and to provide feedback to both its radiologists and its clients. To assist with this, Imaging Partners Online has developed its own software, IPO QA.
IPO QA is a radiology peer review software package that makes selection, reading and feedback of peer review cases simple and fast. The software is already used by Imaging Partners Online UK’s radiologists to review their own work.
Using IPO QA, a radiologist can quickly review colleagues’ reports, view the images and report an addendum while the system automatically notifies the Clinical Director and reporting radiologist by email. A follow-up process is immediately initiated and an audit trail means that all activity is recorded and time-stamped. Comprehensive statistical and qualitative reports are provided to all Imaging Partners Online’s clients.
“Initially this was developed as a value added product for our existing clients,” said Ross Wright, Imaging Partners Online Director of IT. “We are developing a rich database of peer review reads and it makes sense to offer a peer reviewing service to non- Imaging Partners Online clients. It means that their peer review is independent and can compare performance against a wider community of radiologists.”
IPO QA has been of significant value to Imaging Partners Online in streamlining the company’s rigorous QA requirements. The system is used to when evaluating speed of accuracy of new radiologists to Imaging Partners Online prior to employment and also to double read their first two sessions at Imaging Partners Online. It assists in keeping track of QA reads for CME purposes as well. Comprehensive reports are provided to our clients’ requirements, and as the database of reads grows, causal analysis is also provided to individual radiologists.
22.10.2010Imaging Partners Online UK will provide services to UCLH from 7pm to 8am, seven days a week. At night, the volume of cases is low, but the net cost to the Department is high...”said Dr Joe Brookes, Clinical Director for UCLH. “.We took the view that our consultant radiologists and registrars were of much higher value during the day, and happier when we took the decision to seek an off-site after hours provider….”
Using in-house developed technology, its UK-registered radiologists working from purpose designed reporting centres in London, Sydney, Melbourne and Perth to provide a fast, round-the clock service, ensuring that reporting is always done during the Radiologist’s “awake” hours and in an environment supported by the best equipment and robust quality assurance processes.
“In the short time the service has been operating we have been delighted with Imaging Partners Online UK’s performance. The level of communication between Imaging Partners Online UK’s radiologists and our clinicians combined with the timeliness of reports has been impressive.” Dr Brookes concluded.
