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Perth Radiological Clinic recently celebrated the victory of being the first private radiology practice in Perth to provide referrers with direct digital access to a PACS network.
Perth Radiological Clinic (PRC) launched PRC DIRECT on the 27 June, 2007 at the University Club of Western Australia. The event was attended by over 200 guests including referrers, clinicians and practice managers throughout Perth.
PRC DIRECT aims to enhance the level of service provided to referring doctors and patients. It provides referrers with secure access to their patients’ images and reports directly from their PC. Using the Inteleviewer platform, referrers require broadband internet and a Windows compatible computer. Within minutes of a patient’s examination, imaging from CT, MRI, Ultrasound, Mammography, Nuclear Medicine and plain film are sent to the RIS/PACS network. From here, referrers can login to their PRC DIRECT account and view their patients’ images.
Referring general practitioner, Dr Nick Forgione, has been using PRC DIRECT for some weeks now. When PRC DIRECT was installed at his Trigg Health Care Centre, Dr Forgione was immediately impressed. Lana Darbyshire, Customer Relations Manager at PRC met with Dr Forgione to talk about his experience of using PRC DIRECT.
“The greatest benefit is the immediacy. I no longer have to wait for film deliveries and I can know what the diagnosis is before my patient arrives.”
Dr Forgione is interested in looking at the imaging, before going straight to the report. “With PRC DIRECT, the films become more meaningful and instructive”, says Dr Forgione.
“Patients also appreciate seeing the images on screen, and I have been using some of the tools, like zooming in on pathology to show my patients.”
One of the features of PRC DIRECT that Dr Forgione utilises is the ability to export, print and send images.
“Recently, one of my patients had a miscarriage and was rushed to KEMH with complications. KEMH wanted the US images (which were provided by PRC) but she didn’t bring them with her. With PRC DIRECT, I was able to print the report and imaging to my colour laser printer and send them off with my patient to KEMH without delay,” explains Dr Forgione.
Dr Forgione can clearly see that film will eventually become obsolete, when the wide range of systems used by healthcare providers become more compatible and digital data can be readily transferred.
“I look forward to the day when I can refer my patient to a specialist and give my patient a digital file with everything, including the radiological imaging” says Dr Forgione.
Dr Richard Choong, director of Port Kennedy Medical Centre and vice President of the AMA WA, was the first general practitioner in the Rockingham Kwinana district to have PRC DIRECT installed. “PRC DIRECT is changing the way referrers think about radiology”, says Dr Choong.
Port Kennedy Medical Centre now requests PRC to give their patients’ films at the end of their examination or to collect films from the PRC Clinic, rather the practice staff accepting daily deliveries.
“At this practice, our policy is to return all delivered radiology films back to the patient, but we always get stuck with so many [old films], which creates lots of work and storage problems,” says one Practice Manager.
On installation of PRC DIRECT, Dr Choong commented “This is the best thing Perth Radiological Clinic has ever done”.
This is a popular sentiment from referrers who have PRC DIRECT installed. Since the launch PRC now has over 1000 referrers connected with more waiting in the wings.
If you are a referrer to Perth Radiological Clinic and have any queries or comments about PRC DIRECT or would like to be connected, please contact your Customer Relations Manager:
Michelle Reid mreid@perthradclinic.com.au
Jude Clarke jclark@perthradclinic.com.au
David Boffy dboffy@perthradclinic.com.au
