Improving the patient experience for better image outcomes

Topics

At a glance

Partner

Lahey Health, Burlington, Massachusetts, US

Challenge

Lahey Health sought superb imaging solutions to differentiate its services in a highly competitive market

Solution

Philips partnered with Lahey Health to help design and plan a new patientcentric imaging center

Results

Fewer appointment cancellations within the radiology department
Improved workflow efficiency within the imaging department
More relaxed, satisfied patient experience
Enhanced imaging staff experience

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The greater Boston area is one of the most competitive healthcare markets in the country, with a host of worldclass health systems vying for staff and patients.

Lahey Health, a leading integrated health care system headquartered in Burlington, Massachusetts, wanted to address this with world-class experiences for its patients and staff. The system turned to Philips to collaborate with them to design and plan a new patientcentric imaging center. Next to improving overall patient and staff experience, this has led to improved workflow efficiency and a reduction in appointment cancellations.

Lahey Health is comprised of nationally recognized, award-winning hospitals, physicians, behavioral health services, and post-acute programs including home health services, skilled nursing and rehabilitation facilities, and continuing care resources. The system includes nearly 1,400 locally based physicians throughout northeastern Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire and primary care physician practices and multiple outpatient and satellite specialty care facilities.

The solution

Lahey Health was intrigued by the collaborative approach of Philips including its deep consumer experience, and its dedication to technology solutions that integrate data, reduce complexity, and improve outcomes. The health system was seeking a partner that was committed to working closely with its own teams to help them implement innovative technology that could help improve patient and staff’s experience.

Calmer MRI Patients. Better patient care.

For many patients, getting a stressful MRI experience may interfere with scan quality and lead to repeat scans. The combination of the long exam time, a confined space, and loud MRI noises leads to claustrophobia in some 15% of patients (1) and motion disruptions in another 20% (2). Beyond negatively impacting workflow and department financial goals, compromised images and rescans may adversely affect a patient’s experience.

"The return on investment has been exceptional, with a decrease in appointment cancellations and greater workflow efficiency."

Dr. Peter W. Curatolo

Medical Director of MRI Services at Beverly Hospital, A Member of Lahey Health

The enhanced patient experience at Lahey Health facilities starts the moment patients walk in the door, where a soothing environment with sound, video projection and dynamic lighting eases discomfort and provides positive distraction. By using technology designed with the entire patient journey in mind, Lahey Health allows the patient to select the lighting and video content prior to the exam, which adds to the experience to create happier patients and quality results.

“Collaborating with Philips, we’re working smarter, faster and more efficiently – to the ultimate benefit of our patients,” noted Christoph Wald, MD, PhD, MBA, FACR, Chairman, Department of Radiology at Lahey Hospital & Medical Center. “We’re focused on delivering confident diagnoses coupled with experiences that put patients at ease and that facilitate the work of our technologists and radiologists.”

Results

The MRI with Ambient In-bore Experience helped Lahey Health create a more soothing MRI experience for patients, reducing the number of cancelled appointments while improving efficiency and patient satisfaction. Many technologists now prefer to work in this suite.

Looking forward

Lahey Health will continue to collaborate with Philips to implement the imaging suite of the future. It recently installed Philips new IQon Spectral CT - that is ‘always on’, allowing radiologists to retrospectively reconstruct spectral CT data. In addition to offering a single source, low-dose scan, it fully integrates with existing workflow, delivering extraordinary diagnostic quality that helps radiologists make a confident diagnosis more often.

Sources:

1. Dewey M1, Schink T, Dewey CF. Claustrophobia during magnetic resonance imaging: cohort study in over 55,000 patients. J Magn Reson Imaging. 2007; 26(5):1322-7.

2. Andre, Jalal B., et al. “Towards Quantifying the Prevalence, Severity, and Cost Associated with Patient Motion during Clinical MR Examinations.” JACR (2015).

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