From conducting radiologic imaging procedures to evaluating each image, assessing the results in your Epic system, outlining patient-specific care plans, and everything in between, having a flexible radiology information system (RIS) can be make or break for your organization.
Read on to learn more about Epic’s radiology solutions (like Epic Radiant), as well as where our senior-level Epic consultants can fit in your organization and help you maximize the quality of patient care and improve health outcomes across the care continuum.
Why is Radiology Important in Healthcare?
Radiology (or diagnostic imaging) involves taking a series of images that are used to diagnose and treat diseases and injuries throughout many different sectors in the healthcare field, including oncology, surgery, obstetrics, emergency medicine, and more.
Reliable radiology practices ensure accurate diagnoses for patients and help care teams determine the best course of action for patient care plans, which could be the difference between life and death in some circumstances.
What Do Hospital Radiology Departments Do?
It’s no secret that radiologic functionality, early diagnoses, and well-defined treatment plans can save lives. With radiology, physicians can effectively manage patient care, find the right diagnosis for ailments or diseases, determine the proper course of treatment for each patient, and improve accuracy and efficiency across a wide range of conditions and specialties.
Here are a few of the main imaging exams used in radiology…
- CT Scans: Computed tomography (CT) scans take X-ray images in a variety of different angles and creates 3D computer-processed images of tissues and organs to help pinpoint the exact location of a tumor, detect and track discrepancies within a patient’s organs, and more.
- Radiographs: With X-rays that provide better visibility into a patient’s bones, abdomen, or chest, physicians can detect bone breaks and fractures, assess breast tissue to detect cancer, and other specific health concerns like arthritis or bowel blockages.
- MRIs: Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technology uses magnetic fields, radio waves, and computer processing functionality to capture and create images of a specific area in the body to detect muscle, tendon, or ligament injuries and observe the brain and spinal cord for signs of disease or injury.
- Ultrasounds: Ultrasounds use sonic waves to create and display moving images for patients and are most commonly used for echocardiograms and assessing the health of a child throughout a mother’s pregnancy.
How Does Epic Radiology Software Help?
The Epic radiology system, Epic Radiant, provides flexible RIS functionality to help radiologists create diagnostic imaging services, assess important radiology results, track recommendations from other radiologists and physicians, and exchange patient information more easily and efficiently between radiology and Epic’s electronic health record (EHR).
With Epic Radiant, radiologists and physicians are enabled to…
- Assess a patient’s results and easily communicate them between different areas and specialties throughout the Epic system
- Seamlessly connect a patient’s radiology results with the Epic EHR for improved visibility and accessibility to important patient information
- Protocol studies and identify critical results for patients
- Leverage rule-based scheduling software to manage upcoming appointments
- Provide additional internal support for Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) standard protocols
- Integrate with Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) for improved image retrieval, distribution, and security
A Guide to Epic Radiology Orders
When it comes to optimizing your technological investment and improving process efficiency for your radiology department, understanding how to access, view, select, and manage radiology orders in Epic is a key factor in your success.
Let’s take a closer look at a few of the different types of radiology orders, as well as how to order images from each encounter in Epic.
Orders-Only Epic Radiology Order
Here’s how to order an image from an “orders-only” encounter in Epic…
1) Search “Orders Only” and click on the “Orders Only” activity.
2) Navigate to a specific patient using their name or medical record number and click on “Accept” or “New” according to the status of the patient.
3) Click “Add Order” and search for the order you’re looking for.
4) Select the order you need and fill out all of the required information (i.e., fields with an exclamation point outlined with a red circle.)
5) Add any additional specifications or scheduling instructions and click “Sign Order.”
6) Click “Sign Encounter” to complete the order and remove it from the chart completion box.
Diagnostic Epic Radiology Order
Here are the key steps in ordering an image from a diagnostic encounter…
1) Navigate to an already existing encounter and click “Add Order.”
2) Search the specific type of order in the text box and click “Enter.”
3) Select the appropriate exam and complete all of the required elements.
4) Add additional scheduling instructions and click “Sign Order.”
5) Click “Chart Review” and navigate to “Imaging” to confirm the order.
Interventional Epic Radiology Order
Here are the steps needed to order an image from an interventional radiology encounter…
1) Navigate to an encounter and click “Add Order.”
2) Select your order type (i.e., Inpatient (“IP CONSULT”) or Outpatient (“AMB REFERRAL”) and enter all necessary details for the order.
3) Once all order details are entered and scheduling instructions, associated physicians, and check-out comments have been added, click “Accept.”
4) Click “Chart Review” and navigate to “Referrals” to sign and confirm the order.
How Can We Help?
Whether you need help leveraging Epic’s Radiant solution to document contrast on a patient’s Medication Administration Record (MAR), additional support for clinical decision-making processes, an extra hand integrating radiology results in the full patient record, or anything else Epic-related, Surety Systems is here to help.
Our team of senior-level Epic consultants has the technical skills, functional expertise, and real-world practice to improve accuracy and efficiency throughout hospital radiology departments and help you make the most out of your Epic investment.
And, even better, we’ve included a sample profile of one of our top-notch Epic consultants to give you a better idea of what to expect when partnering with us…
Surety Senior Epic Radiology Consultant
- 7 years of Epic Training and Build experience, 13 years total in the Healthcare space
- Certified in Epic Radiant and Cupid
- Epic Radiant Activation support during go live for multiple projects
- Virtual and Onsite Training experience to end users (providers, nurses, front desk staff, and technologist)
- MRI, CT, X-ray, and Ultrasound experience as an end user
Getting Started with Us
Interested in learning more about our top-notch Epic consulting services? Ready to get started on a project with our techno-functional Epic consultants?
Contact us today to get connected with one of our Epic experts!
