Riverside Radiology and Interventional Associates (RRIA), Columbus, Ohio, was an early pioneer in the transition from analog to digital radiology, and radiologist Peter Lafferty, MD, vividly recalls his first encounter with the interpretation of digital images in the late ‘90s.

When working at a high volume breast imaging provider, radiologists can’t afford speed bumps. But hiccups in workflow are inevitable when a radiologist is forced to constantly switch between different workstations, each with their own interfaces and controls.

Earlier this year vRad and San Diego-based XIFIN (pronounced zy-fin) began closely collaborating on an online workflow that will offer referring physicians a one-stop fusion of all diagnostic reports—from radiology, pathology and clinical labs.

Radiology provides critical value in the diagnostic process. However, significant changes in healthcare now require the specialty to think creatively about how to provide additional value beyond interpretation, including transparency into quality and economic performance. 

Speech recognition software is at the top of the wish list, if not in the active purchasing plans, for 272 healthcare providers shopping for or in the process of buying imaging IT products in eight countries of northern Europe. 

As an early adopter of speech recognition technology in 2000, Richard H. Wiggins, III, MD, CIIP, FSIIM, witnessed a stunning reduction in turnaround times (TAT) at the University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City.

Of all scenarios in radiology that call for lightning-fast turnaround times coupled with absolute accuracy, few present the pressure of serving as the radiology group on call for in-season sports-injury studies.

McKesson spent a good deal of its time at HIMSS15 showcasing a new, vendor-neutral IT suite aimed at helping healthcare providers orchestrate workflows and increase interoperability—not least by image-enabling their EHR systems.