Radiology

    Estimated reading time: 6-7 minutes

    What if your imaging teams could collaborate remotely, whether in different rooms, on different floors or in different buildings?​

    Qualified imaging staff are already in short supply – and the forecast for meeting the increasing demand is not optimistic.  The demand for complex medical imaging is growing faster than the clinical radiology workforce – the shortfall in which is expected to reach 44% by 2025.1​

     

    You’re living this every day. Increasing demands of care systems put added pressure on already-stretched imaging teams. And the increasing complexity of technology and cases makes challenges with staffing, skill variability and quality standardisation more apparent than ever.

     

    What if you could provide the support your team needs – on demand – exactly when they need it? What if you could offer greater access to care by extending your team rather than expanding it? And what if you could take advantage of more experienced or specialist imaging colleagues​ in closed environments such as COVID wards, without summoning them to the bedside? 

    Doctor monitoring patient

    At a glance

    Challenge


    Complex protocols and advanced imaging cases call for experienced radiographer support. But senior, more experienced or specialist imaging colleagues are not always on site – or on duty  – when needed. Physical distance not only prevents imaging teams from collaborating, but too often also keeps patients from accessing the care they need. With staff shortages an ongoing challenge, imaging teams need ways to make their skills go further.​

    Solutions


    Philips Radiology Operations Command Center (ROCC) for advanced CT and MR imaging

    Results

     

    • Senior, specialist and more experienced support and guidance, and accelerated training on demand for imaging teams​
    • Greater access to care for patients
    • More standardised, consistent care across multiple locations
    • More capacity for care teams

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    COVID-19 heightened the need for remote collaboration and support


    Before the pandemic, diagnostic services were already burdened with high demand, short staffing and inefficient workflows, leading to high rates of staff stress and burnout. If imaging teams faced staffing and workflow challenges before the pandemic, COVID-19 has brought those challenges into even higher resolution. With the additional burdens of personal protective equipment (PPE) and new disinfection protocols, the need for greater staff efficiency and support has become even more urgent. Remote and virtualised services offer a powerful way to extend care and enable that care to be delivered despite the inevitable shocks and surges to systems and schedules.

    Artist rendering of Philips Radiology Operations Command Center (ROCC) showing experts providing remote virtual assistance

    Image acquisition goes virtual with a central command center

    What happens when physical distance is no longer an obstacle?


    With COVID-19 as a catalyst for change, clinical leaders across the globe have shown great resourcefulness in using tele-acquisition and remote collaboration solutions to gain access, extend expertise, and drive consistency in their imaging operations. Now, a radiographer can receive guidance from a senior or more experienced colleague, or a specialist - in real time - during a procedure, even if the radiographer and their colleague are on separate floors or in different buildings. ​For those colleagues, the less time they spend travelling between the locations they support, the more time they can devote to performing the specialised capabilities for which they’ve trained.

    What do these solutions mean for patients?


    Beyond the benefits for imaging teams, their patients – whether in rural areas, in quarantine conditions, or with limited mobility – can benefit from greater access to expert care, with physical distance no longer a factor.  

     

    As the NHS looks to transform its imaging and diagnostic services2, having a central command center could allow imaging providers to offer complex procedures at more locations, closer to where patients live, and at more flexible hours – meaning less hassle and greater convenience for patients.

    Philips Radiology Operations Command Center: a powerful new option to access expert support

    Optimize your imaging network

    This Radiology Operations Command Center is a revolutionary capacity....

    I love the fact that every time I see a connection, I know that I'm improving quality and consistency and the fundamental principle of ‘let's get the exam right the first time’.... This is really probably one of the most quality-focused, impactful tools that we've had.”

    Dr. Lawrence Tanenbaum

    Chief Technology Officer & Director of Advanced Imaging & VP, RadNet Inc., U.S.

    COVID-19 has wreaked untold damage. But it has also accelerated the use of critical telehealth innovations. More and better remote collaboration can bring increased guidance to imaging staff and greater access to care for their patients. Could this increased collaboration help your imaging staff work more confidently and efficiently, while expanding access to care for more patients in more places? We believe it can and will.

    Learn more about these solutions

    Philips Radiology Operations Command Center (ROCC)


    Connect imaging colleagues at a command center with radiographers at scan locations with this multi-vendor, multi-modality, multi-site virtualised imaging solution.

    Philips Collaboration Live


    Grow your team without hiring more staff. Talk, message, share screens and stream videos quickly and securely from the ultrasound system wherever you are.

    Go deeper


    Are you interested in learning more about how these solutions can help you address your challenges?

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    At a glance

    Challenge

    Complex protocols and advanced imaging cases call for experienced radiographer support. But senior, more experienced or specialist imaging colleagues are not always on site – or on duty  – when needed. Physical distance not only prevents imaging teams from collaborating, but too often also keeps patients from accessing the care they need. With staff shortages an ongoing challenge, imaging teams need ways to make their skills go further.​

    Results

    • Senior, specialist and more experienced support and guidance, and accelerated training on demand for imaging teams
    • Greater access to care for patients
    • More standardised, consistent care across multiple locations​
    • More capacity for care teams

    Webinar

    Early adopters share their success in “Going Remote”. Watch “Going Remote: How collaborative and virtual capabilities are transforming Radiology”

    Further reading

    Download our whitepaper, which ​ highlights the unprecedented challenges facing the UK’s health system, and how ROCC offers radiology teams access to an additional layer of remote senior specialist support to maximise imaging service throughput.​

    Podcast

    Host Dr. Chip Truwitt and guest Vijay Parthasarathy discuss how ROCC will help increase labor productivity in MR and CT

    People in conversation

    Let’s continue the conversation

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    Other radiology workflow challenges in focus

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    Philips helps integrate radiology workflows to accelerate your path to precision diagnosis. Improve and streamline workflows. See how.

    We are always interested in engaging with you.

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    Results presented are for illustrative purposes only and are not predictive of actual results for your business.

     

    1. Radiology workforce census | The Royal College of Radiologists (rcr.ac.uk)

    2. NHS England » Transforming imaging services in England

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