University of Kentucky Health System Selects lifeIMAGE for Medical Image Sharing
Newton, MA (PRWEB) November 25, 2013 -- UK HealthCare, which includes all University of Kentucky hospitals, 80 specialized clinics, and more than 140 outreach programs, has announced it will implement medical image sharing services from lifeIMAGE across its healthcare enterprise. This will improve access to the system’s broad range of subspecialized services by enabling healthcare providers and patients everywhere – from rural communities in the southeast, to countries all over the globe – to easily and securely exchange radiology and cardiology images, and other vital health information with UK HealthCare’s expert physicians.
Championed by UK HealthCare’s radiology, cardiology and information technology groups, the decision to adopt cloud-based image transfer technology comes with strong support from UK HealthCare’s renowned clinical leaders, who believe it should be part of the standard of care at the health system.
- UK HealthCare’s Markey Cancer Center, the only facility in Kentucky designated by the National Cancer Institute, will leverage lifeIMAGE to ensure patients anywhere can quickly and easily transfer imaging studies to its highly specialized clinicians. With advanced access to imaging, clinicians will be able to review and discuss cases before patients present, and immediately begin to formulate a care plan. The cancer center will also be able to more effectively share imaging with community care providers, with whom patients may visit in between trips to Markey’s specialists.
“The timely arrival of scans from our referring physicians improves efficiency in the multi-disciplinary care of the cancer patient. This translates into being best for the patients,” commented Lowell B. Anthony, MD, FACP, Chief, Division of Medical Oncology at UK HealthCare’s Markey Cancer Center.
- Image exchange will be incorporated into transfer patient workflow at UK Chandler Hospital, a Level I trauma center verified by the American College of Surgeons, and one of only two such centers servicing the needs of Kentuckians. This will enable the timely transfer of images from community emergency departments to surgeons and support personnel. They will be able to review images for critically injured patients while they are still in transit to UK, and immediately start to prepare for their arrival. This will prevent against delays and unnecessary repeat imaging that can be caused by transferring exams on compact disc.
“We specialize in caring for the most severely injured patients for whom even minutes count. The major killer of trauma victims who arrive alive is bleeding. Now we'll have a head start on finding and stopping that bleeding. And we'll save more lives,” stated Andrew Bernard, MD, Chair, Chair, Trauma and Section Head, Acute Care Surgery, Trauma and Surgical Critical Care.
- Fast, real-time image exchange will enable UK HealthCare’s neurology specialists to better advise community healthcare providers during time-sensitive stroke protocols.
“With serious neurological problems like stroke, time saved is brain saved. Saving brain tissue means better outcomes and better quality of life for our patients. Having faster access to scans through lifeIMAGE will help us save time and save brains,” commented Michael R. Dobbs, MD, MHCM, Chair (Interim), Department of Neurology, Stroke Program Director.
lifeIMAGE will provide UK HealthCare’s hospitals and clinics with an end-to-end solution for viewing, sharing and importing images from CDs, electronically receiving imaging exams from any outside users and modalities, and sharing the results of imaging tests performed at UK HealthCare with physicians and patients, anywhere.
“As an academic medical center with a large geographical service area and a mission to partner with and support a large number of referring facilities and physicians, we have a significant need for a tool like lifeIMAGE to allow us to provide seamless support to these referring partners so that we can jointly provide optimal, timely care to our patients,” summarized Justin W. Campbell, Assistant Hospital Administrator (Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Radiology, Rehab Services), UK HealthCare.
At the upcoming meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), being held December 1-5 in Chicago, Ill., lifeIMAGE will showcase its medical image sharing services in booth #8044 (Hall B, North Building). Also at RSNA, lifeIMAGE customers such as Boston Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, Weill Cornell Imaging at NewYork Presbyterian, Loyola University Medical Center and Aspen Valley Hospital will host educational workshops on medical image exchange. To attend, pre-register at http://www.lifeIMAGE.com/rsna.
Jackie Leckas, lifeIMAGE, http://www.lifeimage.com, +1 (617) 990-2262, [email protected]
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