IHIE integrates PowerShare for efficient retrieval of imaging studies
Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) removes barriers to streamline image sharing and accelerate patient care with seamless, integrated workflow using PowerShare Image Sharing.
Streamlining the workflow
To automate a more efficient workflow for radiologists and other clinicians, IHIE partnered with Nuance to enable single‑click image access using PowerShare Image Sharing. Read the story to learn how.
Challenge
Remove barriers to streamline image sharing and accelerate patient care with seamless, integrated workflow.
Solution
PowerShare Image Sharing
Results
Patient images are now “one click away” for IHIE clinicians.
Background
Indiana Health Information Exchange (IHIE) operates the largest inter‑organizational clinical data repository in the nation. It collates and provides access to patient information, enabling healthcare teams to deliver faster, better care. “We know that patients travel between health systems, so CareWeb is embedded in EMRs across the state as a single source for capturing patient information, normalizing information with clinical data to support workflows, and providing population health services at the point of care,” says Becky Learn, Vice President of Service Delivery, IHIE.
It’s a robust, well‑integrated application used by more than 50,000 Indiana providers to access information on the 18+ million patients they serve. However, IHIE’s CareWeb stopped short of self‑serve image access.
To automate a more efficient workflow for radiologists and other providers, IHIE partnered with Nuance to enable single‑click image access using PowerShare Image Sharing. Now, via CareWeb, PowerShare can quickly “fetch” imaging studies for clinicians; and for radiologists, studies are available within their picture archiving and communications system (PACS). Integrated into the solutions they already use, the process requires no additional user training and improves staff productivity at both sending and receiving sites.
Seamless access to imaging studies
Before this single‑click access, clinicians could see a list of patient imaging but couldn’t retrieve and view those images on demand. To access, clinicians and administrators had to manually request them from the hospital or facility, a process that meant waiting for a representative to send the studies and hoping the right ones were sent. This process added significant friction to the clinical workflow, delayed patient care, and caused patients to get repeat exams and undergo unnecessary radiation exposure.
Unfortunately, repeat exams are a common problem with delayed image access, especially in emergency scenarios. Emergency physicians need to order a repeat exam if they cannot access their patient’s previous images quickly enough.
It’s a tricky problem, and one that Learn says all health information exchanges should be motivated to solve. With Nuance PowerShare, IHIE is doing just that: accelerating patient care, saving patients from unnecessary, repeat exams and radiation exposure, and helping its health organizations reduce and control costs.
“It’s an excellent use case for PowerShare and CareWeb,” says Learn. “The vision was clear: to share images more thoughtfully and efficiently across the state for better patient care.”
Patient images are now “one click away”
Today, three of IHIE’s health organizations are image‑enabled with Nuance PowerShare. Learn notes that it has been very well received, and participating clinicians and staff are now just “one click away” from retrieving outside studies from other facilities.
While the interface is simple for clinicians, Learn credits Nuance for the extensive network, infrastructure strength, and technical expertise needed to create this optimal workflow. “From a technical perspective, this was a big job. Our requirements were straightforward, and we had the interfaces in place to make it happen. But interoperability is never as easy as you think, and there were many variables on both ends to make it work right.”
She continues: “We’re in a great place now, and we look forward to what else we can do together with Nuance.” For example, IHIE is looking at other specialties, such as cardiology, to add to the integration. Learn also mentioned the potential for PowerShare to suggest related imaging based on what the clinician had fetched. The possibilities are tremendous, and Learn recognizes the expansive reach of PowerShare across Indiana as a critical enabler.