August 7, 2009 - In order to increase productivity, healthcare providers have started to integrate many IT-based ancillary systems such as EMR, HIS and PACS, according to a presentation by Frost & Sullivan, held on Wednesday, 5th August 2009.
To date, this has purely been a service-oriented business, in which IT systems have accelerated healthcare practices, noted Shriram Shanmugham, research analyst, Frost & Sullivan. He said that the lack of qualified staff is creating a challenge for hospitals. A huge number of radiological examinations and the interpretation of images has to take place, and many hospitals are outsourcing this work to speed up productivity.
Radiology Informatics will help to eliminate this problem. Unlike other service-based ancillary systems, radiology informatics is an artificial intelligence system that will interpret images generated by various imaging modalities. Its aim is to assist radiologists in arriving at a quicker interpretation and also contribute towards recommending other necessary actions for concomitant requirements. Reporting errors, wrong interpretations, and patient report delays due to an unavailability of radiologists will eventually be eliminated.
“The market for radiology informatics is in its nascent stage, requiring extensive research backed by funding,” said Shanmugham. “These systems represent the future though.”
Source: “2009 Quarterly Analyst Briefing Presentation” by The Healthcare Group at Frost & Sullivan.
For more information: www.frost.com