Delivering clinical insights

Topics

At a glance

Partner

Augusta University Health (AU Health) Georgia, USA

Challenge

Needed a standardize workflow
Centrally manage an intricate IT environment
Reduce complexity

Solution

Augusta University and Philips designed, created and implemented an integrated workflow with the Intellispace Portal Concerto enterprise solution

Results

One standardized radiology workflow
22% decrease in turnaround time
17% increase in procedural volume
Excellent system availability and scalability

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Augusta University (AU) Health was looking for a technology solution to help provide fast access to data and tools from different systems in a more holistic manner.

AU Health and Philips entered into an industry-defining partnership in 2013. The goal – to support AU Health’s clinical growth, increase patient throughput, improve operational performance, and reduce costs. One area of focus was to design, create and implement an integrated radiology workflow to help manage a complex IT environment and support system availability.

Based in Augusta, Georgia, AU Health is a worldclass health care network, offering some of the most comprehensive primary, specialty and subspecialty care in the region. AU Health provides skilled, compassionate care to its patients, conducts leading-edge clinical research and fosters the medical education and training of tomorrow’s health care practitioners.

In the past, AU Health’s radiology department operated visualization tools from multiple vendors on multiple workstations. This disparity stood as a barrier to delivering the right care, in the right place, at the right time. To streamline processes, a standardized, centralized radiology workflow was required.

The solution

A single platform, multiple benefits

In partnership with experts from Philips, radiologists and IT professionals at AU Health co-designed an entirely new radiology workflow. At the heart of this new workflow is IntelliSpace Portal and IntelliSpace Portal Concerto, a single platform that creates common access and allows multiple users to work as one across the enterprise network. It improves productivity, helps maximize resources, and reduces the complexities of integrated care.

Extensive preparation allowed AU Health’s radiology department to make a smooth transition to the new workflow. They replaced hardware, imaging software, clinical applications, and workflow tools on a single day with no impact for referring physicians or disruptions to patient care.

Now AU Health’s radiologists can sit down at virtually any machine in the hospital at multiple clinical sites across Georgia, or even at home to access current and prior studies of their patients, perform advanced visualization tasks, and view relevant clinical information. This connected working environment allows them to work smarter and more efficiently, and provide diagnoses faster.

Easy annual upgrades

As part of this partnership, AU Health receives the latest advances every year to remain at the forefront of patient care and innovation. These upgrades provide new insights and efficiency improvements for clinicians, IT administrators, and hospital management.

"We have achieved significant improvements in our workflow."

Dr. James Rawson

Chief of Radiology, Augusta University Medical Center

One-solution approach to advanced visualization

IntelliSpace Portal’s scalability creates a new model for addressing AU Health’s current and future clinical and operational needs. It has accelerated the elimination of three out of four service contracts and reduced the number of IT vendors and software products. It is a one-solution approach to advanced visualization – with a single license set, a single platform for all modalities, and a single point of service.

Results

One standardized radiology workflow
Improved productivity
Excellent system availability and scalability
Reduced reliance on multiple vendors
Easy annual upgrades

Looking forward

By reducing the complexities of today, while preparing for growth tomorrow, Philips and AU Health are demonstrating a commitment to seamless care and better patient outcomes. Together, we are working to continue to design and deploy innovative patient care strategies with an eye toward leveraging technology for patient safety initiatives.

Results are specific to the institution where they are obtained and may not reflect the results achievable at other institutions.