MENLO PARK, CA--(Marketwire - August 15, 2011) - The Department of Radiology at University of Utah Health Care along with Allocade, Inc., will present promising new data highlighting effective, streamlined operational efficiencies through the use of artificial intelligence software. The performance improvement outcomes will be presented during the poster session at the Association for Medical Imaging Management (AHRA) 39th Annual Meeting and Exposition in Grapevine, Texas, on August 17, 2011. More than 1,000 imaging leaders attend this premier educational event for radiology administration every year.
The poster’s primary presenter is Steven Tew, MHA, MBA, manager of Interventional Radiology at the University of Utah Hospitals & Clinics. The poster session will focus on how the University’s IR services successfully reduced overtime costs by 90 percent, reduced FTE expenses by 10-15 percent, increased patient volume and improved its Press Ganey scores. Tew will detail the benefits of managing daily operations in the digital world utilizing On-Cue®, an artificial intelligence-based command and control system from Allocade. Streamlined communication amongst staff and caregivers, increased departmental and hospital efficiencies, increased patient satisfaction and improvements to the hospital’s bottom line are among the learning objectives of the session.
“Utilizing advances in healthcare information technology in combination with changes in departmental processes is necessary to increase efficiency, improve operational transparency between staff and physicians, and provide a higher quality of patient care,” said Tew. “New technology enables us to optimize schedules, streamline communication and provides us with real-time visibility, resulting in a significant reduction in patient scheduling delays, as well as an increase in throughput and improvements to our resource utilization.
“In addition, the software provides access to clinical operations data that previously was very difficult to obtain, enabling us to make objective, meaningful business decisions. As a result, we have preserved jobs and are improving our bottom line,” continued Tew.
In the digital world of today, parts of healthcare still operate in printed and hand-written paper. Prior to hospital patient procedures, forms are often filled out electronically -- patients are scheduled using the Radiology Information System (RIS) and inpatients are ordered through the Hospital Information System (HIS). On the day of the procedure, however, changes to scheduling due to emergencies or add-ons, are handled by paper, phone calls and whiteboards. This results in delays, inefficient use of resources, both in equipment and personnel, and less patient-physician interaction.
Allocade’s On-Cue system dynamically manages and communicates the constantly-changing patient logistics to improve daily operations for all modalities in the radiology department, including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, ultrasound, interventional radiology, nuclear medicine and x-ray. Receiving information directly from the HIS and RIS, On-Cue utilizes artificial intelligence to prioritize among outpatient, inpatient and emergency department demands as it continuously optimizes operational schedules for the available resources. The system delivers real-time visibility of all schedule changes to all interested personnel, thereby improving communication and coordination both inside the department and with other departments.
“It is our goal to effect substantial change in the way a hospital’s daily operating schedule is managed and communicated throughout the enterprise in order to improve efficiencies,” said Gary Wright, president and CEO, Allocade. “University of Utah’s success with On-Cue is a wonderful example of how this software solution can transform the hospital experience for caregivers and patients by reducing the inherent chaos of coordinating care within modern hospital environments.”
The theme for AHRA’s poster session is “performance improvement” and measurable outcomes are required. To learn more about University of Utah and Allocade’s poster presentation, please visit Allocade in booth 229 during the meeting, or go to www.ahraonline.org beginning August 17, 2011 for a full listing of all poster sessions.
About AHRA
AHRA: The Association for Medical Imaging Management is the professional organization representing management at all levels of hospital imaging departments, freestanding imaging centers, and group practices. Founded in 1973, AHRA’s 4000 members reach across the country and around the world. AHRA offers a complete slate of professional development programs including a comprehensive selection of educational conferences and seminars, networking opportunities, award winning publications, and the Certified Radiology Administrator (CRA) credential. Additional information about AHRA can be found at www.ahraonline.org.
About Allocade, Inc.
Allocade, Inc., headquartered in Menlo Park, Calif., is transforming the hospital experience for caregivers and patients with its innovative On-Cue® A.I. Command and Control System, which enables Radiology and Cardiology departments to deliver better patient care as on-time performance improves, departmental capacity increases, patient satisfaction scores rise, and costs are reduced. Allocade has an extensive customer base in the United States with institutions such as Children’s Hospital Boston, the University of Rochester Medical Center, Medical City Dallas Hospital, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital and University of Utah Health Care. For more information about Allocade and the On-Cue Expert (A.I.) Software System, visit www.allocade.com.
On-Cue is a registered trademark of Allocade, Inc.
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