HL Shorts: How to Improve Management of Follow-Up Imaging

Healthcare organizations should not rely on workarounds to set up and complete follow-up imaging, this CMO says.

Follow-up imaging can require complicated processes to set up studies and make sure they are completed, with multiple clinicians often involved in a patient's care. Establishing standardized processes is crucial, and artificial intelligence has the potential to improve radiology workflows.

That's why St. Tammany Health System is using high reliability organization principles and artificial intelligence to make sure follow-up imaging is conducted for patients.

"The need for follow-up imaging is a potential risk for patients because follow-up recommendations may not be completed or they may not be in keeping with the provider team's intent for what they had planned for images," says Patrick Torcson, MD, senior vice president and CMO of St. Tammany Health System. "The traditional approach that has been used is a series of workarounds; historically, there has not been a hard-wired process for how follow-up imaging occurs."

View the video below to get Torcson's insights on how St. Tammany is using high-reliabilty principles and artificial intelligence to improve management of follow-up imaging. Click here to read the accompanying HealthLeaders story.