Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday

8:00 AM- 9:30 AM
Breakout Sessions

Integrating Your Systems: RIS, PACS, VR, and Document Management


John Griffith, CRA
Epic Imaging
Portland, OR

Capital investments in radiology information systems (RIS), picture archiving and communication systems (PACS), document management, and voice recognition (VR) systems should not be taken lightly. Just purchasing and implementing these systems without proper planning will not leverage your investment dollars. However, through proper integration, interfacing, and workflow design, productivity and improved patient care can be realized. Different levels of integration provide you with different levels of productivity gains and cost savings for your imaging center. Discussion of pre and post implementation workflow options and changes will take place to help with the decision making process when it comes time to implement these technologies. Real-life experience with integrating RIS/PACS/VR document management will be reviewed.

You will learn to:

• Discuss options for PACS/RIS/VR document management systems and their integration possibilities.
• Understand the benefits of integrating all of these systems for improved productivity.
• See how integration can improve customer service and provide improved patient care.
• Analyze workflow considerations for post implementation of these systems.

Thinking About PACS? Critical First Steps Toward Success


Jay Mazurowski, BS, CRA, FAHRA
Concord Hospital
Concord, NH

Before taking on a project that will include the selection, installation, implementation and oversight of a PACS system, it will be vital to perform comprehensive assessments in key areas throughout the organization as critical “first steps” in the PACS planning process. Assessment of the current reality of your infrastructure and general imaging environment will prove vital in helping to determine the “right fit” vendor, anticipate potential trouble spots prior to implementation and provide education to stakeholders with respect to system capabilities. Narrowing the field of viable vendor partners to find the “right fit” will also require a thoughtful and systematic assessment process. The information obtained from these assessments can be used to gain organizational support for your PACS project, help to align the project with larger strategic initiatives and will ultimately become much of the foundation for the RFP. Early assessment will also prove beneficial in the financial planning for PACS and can reduce the potential of incurring unanticipated costs during the implementation process.

You will learn to:

• Perform infrastructure assessments in 5 key areas.
• Identify individuals who will add value to your PACS project.
• Develop structured techniques to evaluate vendor partners.
• Develop documentation tools to aid in the selection process.
• Organize your plan into a structured project management approach.

Improving the Bottom Line: Establishing a Denials Management Program


Patricia Kroken, BS, FACMPE, CRA
Healthcare Resource Providers, LLC
Albuquerque, NM

This session repeated on Thursday.

This session will explore the important role of denials management in maximizing revenue and improving financial performance. The speaker will describe the concept of denials management and explain why such a program is important. Examples of denials management successes will be discussed. The session will also cover the steps involved in setting up and maintaining a successful denials management program.

You will learn to:

• Identify problems resulting from a failure to manage denials.
• Understand the concept of denials management and how it can help financial performance.
• Define the steps requires to set up and maintain a denials management program.

RFP: The Basics of Building and Using an Effective RFP for Capital Acquisitions

David R. Fox, MBA, CRA
Baptist Health
Little Rock, AR

Every organization has a process for purchasing new equipment. One tool utilized in objectively determining which vendor to use in vendor selection is the Request For Proposal (RFP) process. Attendees will leave this presentation with a basic knowledge of how to develop an effective RFP spreadsheet for purchasing capital equipment. The attendees will also learn the organizational steps in developing, utilizing, standardizing specifications, terms and conditions, managing expectations, receiving references and formulating a selection of "best" vendor of choice for the selection. Whether you need to brush up on your RFP skills or begin with the basics, this session will cover the important issues for securing the right vendor for your organization.

You will learn to:

• Define an RFP.
• Decide when to use an RFP.
• Prepare an RFP.
• Utilize an RFP for capital purchases.
• Determine what to do with the RFP after the deal is closed.

PET or PET/CT? The Questions That Must Be Answered


Robert Popilock
King’s Medical Group
Hudson, OH

Scott Brubaker
King’s Medical Company
Hudson, OH

This session poses answers to common questions to assist those considering the addition of PET or PET/CT to their clinical practice. The presentation seeks to answer three broad questions: Should I offer PET or PET/CT? If so, what should I offer? And how? Best practice and clinical standards will be referenced to answer a potpourri of questions related to purchase, technology comparison, clinical need, futures, business development, operations, and marketing.

You will learn to:

• Determine if PET or PET/CT is right for your practice.
• Identify relevant questions to shape your purchase decision.
• Identify considerations (development, operations, marketing) for a successful program launch.

Building Career Ladders in Imaging Departments


Paulette Peterson, MEd, RT(R)(M)(QM)
Monroe Community College
North Tonawanda, NY

The multiskilled technologist is not yet a reality in many imaging departments. As financial squeezes continue to be applied, managers must find creative ways to utilize their skilled employees to maximum advantage. Many technologists resist additional training due to lack of adequate recognition or compensation. This session will describe the practical application of the career ladder concept in imaging departments. It will describe the motivational impetus career ladders may provide and the potential benefits to the department and institution. Several proposed models based on current post primary skills will be presented as well as strategies to implement them.

You will learn to:

• Create career ladder models.
• Identify benefits of career ladders to the department and institution.
• Create employee “buy in” for your career ladder plan.

9:45 AM- 11:00 AM
General Session and Keynote

Life Skills for the 21st Century


CW Metcalf

This session generously sponsored by RSI Medical Group.

Life Skills for the 21st Century is a detailed exploration of humor and four additional skills C.W. Metcalf has found to be critical in his own survival of the crises of life. He professes that true survivors are not living in caves with beans and bullets. Those who remain creative, healthy and productive in periods of uncertainty possess hallmark traits such as resilience, fluidity and optimism. Metcalf’s audiences learn that those behaviors are based on developed skills – and he offers practical tools for developing them. With honesty and intensity, he takes the audience on a journey that will be experienced by each individual in a unique way.

You will learn to:

• Understand the importance of developed skills such as humor, community, altruism, imagination and divine luck
• Use practical tools for developing those skills
• Find a re-ignited sense of joy in being alive

2:30 PM- 5:30 PM
Expanded Sessions

Service Enthusiasm


Susan Brooks
Serves You Right! Inc.
Scottsdale, AZ

Leigha Renner, RT(R), CRA
SimonMed Imaging, Inc.
Scottsdale, AZ

Service Enthusiasm® is a program that ‘raises the bar’ in creating a customer/patient service consciousness in a medical environment. Work is the creative expression of spirit. Through this interactive and highly experiential program, spirit renewal and purpose come into alignment. Specific service principles will be defined, explored, and applied to everyday operations. Some of the principles that will be addressed include: thinking like your customer/patient and seeing you through their eyes; choosing to be present and creating a ‘hero’ culture with your staff; and giving service while getting the competitive edge in the marketplace. Learning to be a courageous, outrageous, and highly contagious leader will inspire Service Enthusiasm® for you and your team. This program will give you tools that will help you enroll and empower your staff to recognize how little things can make such a big difference. Giving Service Enthusiasm® is one way we can all contribute to make our world a better place. When could there be a richer opportunity to make a difference than in the healthcare arena?

You will learn to:

• Create a “hero” culture with your staff.
• Create and implement an action plan to activate Service Enthusiasm® spirit.
• Align your spirit with your work.

JCAHO 2005-2006 Update for Freestanding Imaging and Diagnostic Centers Not Associated with a Hospital


Judith M. Atkins, RN, MSN
McKenna & Associates
Charleston, WV

This session is designed to provide information on the JCAHO 2006 standards. This is the biggest change in standards since 1995. The speaker will inform you of the new Priority Focus Process and implications for freestanding imaging and diagnostic centers.

You will learn to:

• Describe the new survey activities for the 2006 JCAHO standards.
• List two questions your staff are likely to be asked during a survey.
• State two strategies to be compliant with the 2006 standards.
• List the two most common non compliant standards for ambulatory in 2005.

2:30 PM- 3:30 PM
Breakout Sessions

Predictive Equipment Maintenance Effects on Department Workflow and Repair Budgets

Richard Kubsch, AET, BSBA
Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc., Cary, NC

This session repeated on generously sponsored by Siemens Medical Solutions USA, Inc.

The second highest expense in a radiology department after employee payroll is equipment maintenance. This session will describe the various advances in remote service capabilities for high-end diagnostic equipment. The buzzword in the industry is “Predictive Maintenance” and this session will discuss the differences between remote diagnostics, dial up diagnostics, reactive diagnostics, proactive diagnostics, and system management. New methods in predictive service and real-time monitoring can make an immediate impact on a busy department’s workflow, patient care and annual repair budgets. This session will cut through the jargon so that participants can discuss evolving service needs with their original equipment manufacturer (OEM).

You will learn to:

• Discuss how predictive maintenance will decrease unplanned disruptions to patient schedules and department workflow.
• Understand the best ways to protect IT infrastructure from attack.
• Define how new remote repair technologies can keep equipment operating at or above 99%.
• Make informed decisions about maintenance contracts and “evolve” type non-obsolescence protection.
• Decide if your present service agreements need a “tune up.”

The Language of Leadership: Overcoming Obstacles to Accountability


Jenifer Madson, BA
Wealth Journeys, LLC
Erie, CO

This session repeated on Thursday.

Leaders need accountability from their colleagues. Colleagues need clarity from their leaders. Oftentimes, the challenge of accountability to any goal lies in the communication gap between the contributors to that goal. Assumptions, underlying belief systems and plain-old limiting language get in the way of achieving the objectives that are most important to the relationship or company, leading to weakness of purpose and results. This session will cover 5 concrete steps to accountability, teaching each participant how to articulate and assert their needs, align the proper teams to the goal and take measurable action, all of which leads to easy accountability.

You will learn to:

• Author an internal “success scenario”.
• Assert your objectives and goals.
• Be in alignment with key partners to ensure accountability.

The Art of Forecasting Demand: Planning Wisely for Resource Expenditure


Pamela Harlem, MBA
RCG Healthcare Consulting
San Rafael, CA

This session generously sponsored by RCG Healthcare Consulting.

If you know “in your gut” that you need additional resources/equipment or wonder if you’re capturing your full market potential but never actually undertook a methodical demand projection analysis, this is the session for you. Highly relevant to both hospital and outpatient environments, this session explains the benefits of forecasting demand for services, how to overcome hurdles, and provides a practical model for forecasting demand.

You will learn to:

• Identify the 3 factors for forecasting growth.
• Utilize a model for building demand projection.
• Use demand forecasting in building a sound resource management plan.

Electronic Imaging Quality Assurance and Its Impact on Patient Safety


Donna Drew, RT(R), RDMS, BS
GE Healthcare
Woodland Park, CO

The complexity of practicing medicine rises as medical technology advances, thus creating an increase in medical errors. Patient safety measures need to be in place to ensure patient safety is a priority in an imaging department. Workflow in imaging departments has greatly changed since the implementation of electronic imaging and PACS. The culture change to electronic imaging without a subsequent standardization of workflow practice that compliments the electronic environment can ultimately lead to a compromise of patient safety, healthcare team member integrity, and financial efficiencies. This presentation will cover steps taken to develop a comprehensive quality assurance project that minimizes the risk of errors in an electronic imaging environment. The key elements involved in a systematic approach to workflow process analysis will be discussed in addition to the redesign, implementation, and continued monitoring of a program. A case study will be shared.

You will learn to:

• Understand how a formal quality assurance program in an electronic environment can greatly enhance patient safety.
• Identify the key elements involved in the implementation of an Electronic Imaging Quality Assurance Program.
• Understand the importance of matching resources to the project scope.
• Understand how continuous performance monitoring will maintain an environment that ensures patient safety is optimized.

Radiologist Assistants: Notes from Across the Pond


Lara Henshaw, MBA, MS
RCG Healthcare Consulting
Boston, MA

This session generously sponsored by RCG Healthcare Consulting.

Despite the subtle differences in language, radiology practices in the United Kingdom and United States both face the same pertinent issue: maintenance of an adequate workforce. The chronic shortage of radiologists in the UK coupled with the belief that radiographers should not be restricted by outmoded boundaries has resulted in the expansion of the radiographer’s role. Today, in the UK, radiographers undertake tasks that historically were in the domain of the radiologist. Radiographers routinely perform barium enema studies, undertake breast biopsies and provide first line reports on skeletal studies. With the evolving role of the radiologist assistant in mind, this session will provide in-depth information on the possibilities and limitations of expanded roles for technologists.

You will learn to:

• Understand how radiographers in the UK have embraced the challenge of expanding professional boundaries and how an effective “skill mix’ can further enhance the benefits of role expansion.
• Understand how expanding the role of the radiographer in the UK has enabled radiologists to work more efficiently.
• Define how patient care has improved, job satisfaction has increased and how costs have been reduced with the advancement of the radiographer’s role in the UK.

Data Migration: Optimizing Image Data Use to Improve Clinical Workflows


Hal Gilreath, MS
Technology Solutions Company (TSC)
Jacksonville, FL

Gary Nicolas
Technology Solutions Company
Chicago, IL

This session generously sponsored by Technology Solutions Company (TSC).

Efficient and cost-effective data migration continues to be a key factor in optimizing enterprise image data availability to improve clinical workflows. Clinicians use digital images from multiple sources to complete a broader array of encounters, driving the volume and distribution of images exponentially higher. Organizations must provide seamless and on-demand access to the right image, to the right location, to the right clinician. These workflow requirements exceed the capabilities of many legacy image archives requiring healthcare organizations to migrate data to centralized, high-performance archives. However, image migrations are not simple data transfers and organizations face many challenges to optimize migrations and eliminate clinical workflow limitations. This session will describe a comprehensive approach to data migration to improve clinical workflows with access to image data.

You will learn to:

• Identify key operational and financial metrics that alert organizations to the need to migrate to an enterprise archive.
• Understand data migration drivers and benefits.
• Define data migration approaches, tools and processes.

4:00 PM- 5:30 PM
Breakout Sessions

The ABCD’s of Hiring the Right Person for the Job


Kenneth R. Cohen, PhD
The Synergy Organization
Bensalem, PA

Several surprising truths will be shared about the real financial and practical impact of your hiring decisions on your organization and on your own career. Some of this will be taken from extensive, national research studies with 80 of the most effective acute care Presidents/CEOs in the US. In addition, the participants will learn how their personal preferences and interpersonal style affect productivity, how to discover their own hiring “blind spots”, and we will discuss the “Dirty Dozen” – The 12 Deadly Sins of Hiring. The speaker will identify different types of people and how to recognize them before you hire them and discuss some proven, practical strategies to improve your hiring effectiveness.

You will learn to:

• Identify 12 common mistakes that most people make when making hiring decisions.
• Describe more effective ways of avoiding hiring mistakes.
• Identify the direct and indirect costs of your hiring decisions.

You’ve Signed the Contract - So What’s Next?


Kimberley Garriott, PMP
Clarian Health Partners
Indianapolis, IN

Carlos Vasquez, CRA, MSM
Clarian Health Partners
Indianapolis, IN

This session generously sponsored by Clarian Health Partners.
This session repeated on Thursday.

You’ve just signed one of the largest contracts in your career. What are the next steps? How do you ensure that your project implementation is a success, on schedule and within budget? The game is changing and radiology technology projects are not straightforward equipment installations with a week of apps training anymore. Integrated PACS, RIS and VR solutions often make a significant impact on the entire enterprise. If they aren’t already, project management skills will soon be included in your job description and are an ever increasing essential for success. Learn how to define the scope of your project and control it; set expectations with vendors and senior management; identify and build an implementation team; and communicate creatively and effectively throughout your organization. This session will help you identify and apply the basic project management principles that will help you through a smooth implementation.

You will learn to:

• Identify project roles and responsibilities.
• Identify the scope of a project and how to contain “scope creep.”
• Set realistic expectations with vendor partners and senior management.
• Communicate creatively throughout your organization.

Improving Coding Consistency Between Hospital and Radiologist


Jackie Miller, RHIA, CPC
Coding Strategies, Inc., Powder Springs, GA

This session generously sponsored by Coding Strategies, Inc.

Are you concerned because the CPT® and ICD-9 codes on your hospital’s claim form don’t always match those on the radiologist’s claim? If you aren’t, you should be, and this session will help you understand why. This session will cover the reasons why the technical component and professional component codes should usually match; instances when it’s okay for the 2 to differ; potential consequences of mismatched codes; and practical strategies for bringing the 2 “into synch.”

You will learn to:

• Explain to radiologists and hospital staff why the technical component claim and professional component claim should usually match.
• Identify circumstances in which it’s acceptable for the claims to differ.
• Leverage existing documentation and coding processes to improve consistency of technical component and professional component billing.

MRI Suite Safety Challenges, Including Seamless Upgrades from 1.5 to 3.0 Tesla


Robert Junk, AIA
Junk Architects, PC
Kansas City, MO

Tobias Gilk, MArch
Junk Architects, PC, Kansas City, MO

This session generously sponsored by Ansul Incorporated and Mednovus.

In this session the speakers will review general MRI suite safety design principles and explore the new twists introduced by the increasing use of stronger (3.0 Tesla) magnets, which will aid facilities in adopting the more powerful systems. In addition to safety, this session will address magnetic contamination and the planning, operational and financial consequences of poorly planned and built MRI suites.

You will learn to:

• Understand the new safety concerns growing with the popularity of 3.0 Tesla MRI.
• Explore the trend and consequences of office-based extremity systems.
• Avoid and remediate magnetic contamination in your magnet room.

How to Use and Measure the Productivity of Your RIS/PACS for Proactive Management of Radiology Workflow


Pamela Moseley, MPHA, RT
Rochester General Hospital
Rochester, NY

Stephen Doerner, MBA, RT
Eastman Kodak Company
Naperville, IL

Implementing a RIS/PACS not only improves productivity – it also gives radiology administrators the information required to effectively manage the production and delivery of radiology services. The measurement of productivity achieved from RIS/PACS enables a facility to maximize the additional capacity gained from an efficient digital process. This session will discuss how one hospital operated prior to installing RIS and PACS, and how operations changed after the installation – from time and motion studies that documented the time spent by technologists before and after the exam, to conducting the exam, reading the exam, transcription, getting report signatures and billing and reporting functions. The speakers will share how they presented the data to hospital administrators to document the achievements and how it was used to improve overall workflow design as well as influence decisions with respect to staffing and capital purchases.

You will learn to:

• Request appropriate data from your RIS/PACS vendor to monitor real-time operations throughout the department.
• Re-allocate radiology department resources to address current workflow needs.
• Assess and correct problems that result from pre- or post-imaging processes, including scheduling, transcription, reading and approval of reports.
• Set up a process to identify the time spent on each stage of a film-based imaging exam.
• Collect and interpret data from a RIS/PACS to measure the time spent for each stage in a digital workflow.
• Design and conduct a survey for physicians to measure their satisfaction with the delivery of radiology services.
• Present productivity data to hospital administrators to document the impact of a RIS/PACS on workflow and physician satisfaction.

The Key to Strategic Growth: Research and Strategy


Elsa Ozuna-Richards, MSA, CMPE
REA Healthcare Strategies
Inc., Reno, NV

Erica Olsen, MBA
M3 Planning, Reno, NV

This session generously sponsored by REA Healthcare Strategies, Inc.

This session is designed to demonstrate how to strategically grow your practice through understanding your market and developing a strategic plan to reach it. Participants will discover how market research can identify areas in the practice that need improvement as well as opportunities to grow the practice. With market research as the foundation, participants will explore a one-day strategic planning process. A strategic plan is the most reliable way to work towards real, sustained growth. It allows you to drive your business instead of your business driving you.

You will learn to:

• Evaluate the marketing climate through effective market research: Conducting a market assessment to identify key market segments, understand market demographics, evaluate key competitors and identify customers’ service expectations.
• Develop a basic strategic plan for your practice through ten practical steps.
• Utilize tools and techniques that will assist in effective, practical strategic planning.