COMPREHENSIVE ANALYSIS OF A RADIOLOGY OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT COMPUTER-SYSTEM

The Radiology Operations Management computer system at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania is discussed. The scheduling and file room modules are based on the system at Massachusetts General Hospital. Patient delays are indicated by the patient tracking module. A reporting module allows CRT/keyboard entry by transcriptionists, entry of standard reports by radiologists using bar code labels, and entry by radiologists using a specially designed diagnostic reporting terminal. Time-flow analyses demonstrate a significant improvement in scheduling, patient waiting, retrieval of radiographs, and report delivery. Recovery of previously lost billing contributes to the proved cost effectiveness of this system.