In Brief: 医学成像技术的进步正在改变提供放射学云顶集团的方式.
拜登政府今年早些时候宣布,新冠肺炎公共卫生紧急状态将于5月11日正式结束. But for hospital leaders, fallout from the pandemic continues. Workforce shortages, supply chain constraints, and increasing demand for clinical care, all of which have intensified in the past several years, are prompting many hospitals to rethink their models of care.
These realities are particularly acute in the field of medical imaging—a high-demand, 高收入的临床云顶集团,产生下游护理几乎每一个专业.
The Need for Innovation in Medical Imaging
Similar to other clinical areas, medical imaging remains affected by capital constraints, physician and technologist shortages, and overall staffing pipeline concerns. These challenges create operational inefficiencies for this 24/7 service line, 但它们也使医学成像成为技术创新的理想环境.
许多医院正在走出他们的舒适区,考虑非传统的解决方案,如远程扫描. While remote scanning is being explored across several imaging modalities, it is gaining the most traction in MRI. 远程扫描为组织提供了一种适应员工不断变化的偏好和远程工作期望的方法,同时使组织能够增加访问权限, improve throughput, and offer more complex scans.
How It Works
远程扫描允许接受核磁共振成像的患者与执行核磁共振成像的技术人员在不同的位置. Typically the patient is accompanied by a support staff member trained in MRI safety, and the MRI technologist may be at another hospital or fully remote. 通过为核磁共振成像仪配备适当的软件,并建立优化和安全护理协调的工作流程,这一过程成为可能.
Interview Findings: Remote Scanning for MRI
For many organizations, remote scanning may be a novel concept. To better understand organizational perspectives, ECG与各种各样的医院领导进行了访谈,从小型农村和危重医院到大型综合分娩网络(idn)。. All of the interviewees were intrigued by the concept, and a few were in various stages of piloting or implementing remote MRI services. 总的来说,受访者在他们的成像部门遇到了类似的挑战:
Shortage of Technologists
一个常见的挑战是缺乏能够完成复杂扫描的高技能技术人员.g., cardiac). For health systems with multiple MRI centers, 病人经常需要被转移到有这类工作人员的地方. In other cases, 医院里没有受过全面训练或能熟练完成复杂扫描的技术人员, 因此,病人被转诊到外部机构,往往必须走很远的路才能接受治疗.
Staffing Limitations
Leaders also expressed concern about the inability to fully staff shifts, which results in reduced community access and throughput capabilities. While staffing shortages are more prevalent during second, third, and weekend shifts, 由于无法配备核磁共振单元人员,许多设施通常会阻碍日常安排. This leads to several compounding effects.
- Remaining staff are often stretched to cover more shifts and work longer hours, leading to call-outs, retention issues, and recruitment challenges.
- As organizations are unable to accommodate patients, patient wait times increase, patient throughput and care coordination deteriorates, length of stay is adversely impacted, 门诊收入也会减少,因为医院最终会因为迁出或失去云顶集团40011官网的推荐而失去病人.
Unsustainable Short-Term Fixes
人手不足往往会导致巨大的压力,要求随叫随到或加班,或者提供不可持续的高签到和轮班奖金. In many cases, 能够全天轮班的为数不多的几名工作人员就是那些被要求随叫随到的小组成员. 这可能会导致员工倦怠,进而导致人员流失,并进一步加剧人员配备方面的挑战. As organizations are increasingly competing with one another for talent, sign-on bonuses are rising to unprecedented levels, sometimes reaching $30,000 paid over two to three years.
Benefits and Concerns
Remote scanning is not a panacea. 而是通过让自己具备这些能力并利用内部或合同员工, organizations stand to improve access to both inpatient and outpatient MRI services. This in turn will lead to tangible effects on overall care coordination, patient experience, and financial performance.
Additionally, 远程扫描可以通过提供更多的覆盖范围来减轻现有员工的压力,从而提高员工的敬业度. 组织也有机会通过提供远程继续教育和更高级的培训支持来促进员工的专业发展.
虽然有很多支持远程扫描的争论,但也有同样多的担忧. The industry leaders we spoke with raised many of the same questions:
- “Who’s in the room with the patient and positioning them?”
- “Does this jeopardize accreditation?”
- “How much does this cost?”
- “What software is necessary on our MRI units to utilize remote scanning capabilities?”
- “What’s the return on investment?”
- “Will this affect the quality of care the patient receives?”
- “What happens in the event of an emergency?”
There are no stock responses; answers depend on the operational and strategic goals, as well as the risk tolerance, of each organization. The American College of Radiology (ACR) states that for an MRI, 两名技术人员或一名核磁共振技术人员与一名核磁共振人员必须能够在彼此能听到的范围内进行交流.
In the case of remote scanning, 远程进行扫描的人是核磁共振技术人员,并且总是能够与房间里的其他工作人员沟通. The person in the room with the patient could be:
- Another MRI technologist.
- A technologist of other modalities.
- A technologist aid or nurse aid.
- Another person trained in MRI safety and workflow.
The choice is a matter of organizational preference.
Safety Considerations for Remote MRI
组织应该通过聘请他们指定的MRI放射科云顶集团40011官网领导和其他临床领导以及参考内部安全实践指南来进行远程扫描. The ACR offers general guidance on the development of an MRI safety program, noting that “the use of remote MRI system operations does not, in any way, diminish the obligations of the site to provide safe MRI care.“这意味着开发和定义远程扫描安全标准的责任落在了各个组织身上.
If a facility implements remote scanning with a technologist aid on site, 必须有足够的文件说明该人员的培训和职责, including protocols for medical emergencies, quenches, emergency power-offs, and other such scenarios. 组织还必须考虑并将其患者筛查的政策和做法写下来, positioning, 线圈的选择,并准备好证明在患者安全方面没有妥协.
一些组织已经促进了远程扫描程序的安全部署,现在正在享受远程MRI技术专家能够同时操作多达三台扫描仪的好处. 下面的图表为考虑使用这些程序的组织提供了一些注意事项.
The Future of Medical Imaging
医学成像技术的进步正在改变提供放射学云顶集团的方式. The demand for medical imaging is expected to increase in the coming years, at a time when many hospitals are experiencing supply chain disruptions, workforce shortages, and declining operating margins. 面对这些挑战,以满足预期的医学成像量的增加, 一些医院已经开始采用远程扫描,尤其是核磁共振成像.
Remote MRI scanning offers many benefits, 包括为患者提供一个独特的机会,让他们更持续、更早、更近地接受治疗. 组织应该强烈考虑远程扫描如何以及是否可以增加他们的即时和长期临床, operational, and strategic goals.
ECG has a depth of expertise in radiology and medical imaging services. 考虑这一任务的组织应寻求具有企业战略经验的外部咨询伙伴, performance transformation, and managed care, along with an understanding of the unique demands of imaging services.
贵组织准备好满足预期的医学影像量的增长了吗?
组织应该强烈考虑远程扫描如何以及是否可以增加他们的即时和长期临床, operational, and strategic goals.
Contact UsEdited by: Matt Maslin, Dara Khan
Published March 29, 2023