IU and GE Launch Institute for Digital Radiology Imaging Education
and Research
Radiology programs and hospital systems throughout the country are rapidly
replacing X-ray films with digital images to provide faster and more accessible
imaging results to physicians and their patients.
The migration to digital imaging and archiving systems is creating a
need for training and education among physicians, technologists and administrators
of imaging programs who anticipate using the new systems. The need to
know is facing a steep upward curve as health care technology consultants
estimate that 60 percent of U.S. hospitals will have adopted digital imaging
systems by 2006.
The Indiana University Department of Radiology, its affiliated practice
group, IU Radiology Associates, and General Electric Medical Systems (GEMS)
Information Technology, have created a matrix within this technology stream
by forming the REWARDSä Institute at the IU School of Medicine. The
REWARDS Institute will support a research program, a customer learning
center, and a showcase site for the GE Picture Archiving and Communication
Systems (PACS). This type of collaborative education and research program
is the first of its kind in the country and will offer courses beginning
March 2002.
IU Radiology Associates and GEMS are jointly funding and developing the
REWARDS Institute’s customer learning center. This new center will
develop image management educational and training programs for hospital
and a free standing imaging center for executives, administrators, physicians,
technologists and other health care personnel interested in improving
clinical radiology productivity, workflow and healthcare quality. In addition,
the REWARDS Institute is funded by GEMS for research projects related
to behavioral and technical aspects of radiology information technologies.
“A picture archiving and communications system (PACS) provides the
foundation for a virtual radiology department by facilitating the rapid
transfer of computed radiography and digital information, allowing high
quality images to be rapidly accessed, viewed and shared by radiologists
and referring physicians,” says Mervyn Cohen, M.B., Ch.B., Eugene
C. Klatte Professor, chairman of the IU Department of Radiology and president
of IU Radiology Associates.
“The impact on patient care will be very positive due to the rapid
accessibility of current and historical images with PACS,” says Dr.
Cohen. “We are very happy to have created this joint venture with
General Electric.”
When using film images, a patient’s X-rays have to be manually located
and delivered to a radiologist. With digital imaging and archiving, current
and historical images can be accessed and examined within seconds. In
addition, the images will not become lost, borrowed and not returned,
or damaged from handling.
Lori Rumreich, MBA, director of the REWARDS Institute, says the IU radiologists’
extensive capabilities in research and education and their experience
in moving from conventional to digital radiography position them to offer
a superior learning experience. “IU and GEMS aim to offer customer-oriented
education that provides solutions for successful digital imaging implementation,
productivity improvements, change management and leadership,” she
says.
The IU group’s experience results from implementing a hospital-wide
digital imaging system at Clarian Health Partners, a multi-hospital system
served by the IU faculty. Clarian Health is currently using the GEMS PathSpeed
PACSÔ system at Methodist Hospital and will being using it at Riley
Hospital for Children during the week of Dec. 3. They anticipate that
the system will be in operation at Indiana University Hospital in early
2002.
The collaboration between GEMS and the Indiana University faculty allows
both to offer unique learning opportunities in a clinical setting to health
care organizations. “We identified GEMS as our strategic partner
not only because of their innovative digital imaging product line, but
also because of their strong focus on customer education and responsiveness
to customer needs,” says Rumreich.
The REWARDS Institute is housed in a new $7 million facility owned by
IU Radiology Associates, located in the emerging technology park in Downtown
Indianapolis. The facility offers the latest in audio visual and remote
learning technology, state-of-the-art training rooms, clinical reading
rooms staffed by board-certified radiologists and a learning lab for digital
imaging education and demonstration events.
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NOTE TO SCIENCE WRITERS AND EDITORS:
The REWARDS Institute is participating in ConnectTech 2001 on Dec.
6 at University Place Conference Center. The program has been organized
by the technology schools on the Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis campus to showcase successful collaborations between university
faculty and private industry. For more information about programs offered
by the REWARDS Institute, please call 317-715-6393.
Indiana University Department of Radiology
A faculty of 46 board-certified radiologists, 60 residents and 17
fellows staff the Indiana University Department of Radiology. The faculty
provides radiological services to five major teaching hospitals in the
Indianapolis metropolitan area, including the Clarian Health hospitals,
Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Wishard Health System and two
nearby community hospitals. The unique patient populations from each of
these hospitals provide extensive and varied clinical experiences. The
department supports training programs for the IU School of Medicine (which
educates the second largest medical student body in the nation), technical
training programs in the IU School of Allied Health Sciences, post-graduate
programs in imaging sciences and a robust research program.
About GE Medical Systems
GE Medical Systems is an $8 billion global corporation that leads in the
development of medical information and technology. It offers networking
and productivity tools, health care information systems, patient monitoring
systems, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, magnetic
resonance imaging, ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron
emission tomography (PET), and nuclear medicine. For more than 100 years,
health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for
high-quality medical technology, services, and productivity solutions.
For more information on GE Medical Systems, visit its Web site at gemedicalsystems.com
Media Contact: Pamela Perry
317-274-7722
pperry@iupui.edu
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