At one acute-care Saskatchewan hospital, Canada's investments in digital diagnostic imaging has meant the creation of a new on-site MRI centre that’s reducing wait times for this vital service by more than a month.

Corey Miller, director of medical imaging and nuclear medicine services for the Saskatoon Health Region, says by switching to the Picture Archiving and Communications System (PACS), the hospital was able to eliminate film libraries, creating enough space to accommodate a new MRI service.

PACS enables authorized health care professionals to collect, store, and distribute digital diagnostic images (x-rays, ultrasounds, MRI and CT scans), no matter the location of the test or clinician.

"PACS has had a tremendous impact. More MRIs, more CTs. More direct patient care," he says.

Richard Alvarez, president and CEO of Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) says PACS - funded in partnership with the provinces and territories - could benefit some 26 million Canadians by March 31, 2009. "PACS improves productivity for doctors, technologists and radiologists, as well as access to care. People get their diagnosis twice as fast, and treatment starts sooner."

PACS has already had a direct impact in improving specific health care for many patients and physicians as well, says Miller.

He cites the case of a 36-year-old Saskatchewan mother of three who underwent a MRI of the brain. The scan revealed a large tumor pushing on nerves under her skull. The results were immediately transferred to specialists located out of province through PACS. The woman was diagnosed in a matter of days and within two weeks was flown out of province to receive life-saving surgery.

"It was a highly complex surgery and the woman was able to get treatment in a timely manner. Through quick response, she had an impressive recovery and within two and a half years was back to her old self," says Miller. "Before PACS that process could have taken weeks and the outcome could have been sadly different for the woman and her loved ones."

Another big benefit of PACS, Miller says, is that it lets doctors spend more time with patients. That's because doctors no longer have to spend time retrieving films and can just pull images up on computers at the office. Physicians and health care professionals also have patient imaging examinations on hand during consultations to show patients and to help explain diagnoses and treatments. "With today's modern patient, that is a big factor," he says.

An independent report commissioned by Infoway to evaluate the benefits of digital diagnostic imaging and PACS, cites such benefits as faster diagnosis, shorter wait times for treatment, better patient management, shorter hospital stays, less duplication of exams and better use of financial and human resources.

Infoway, an independent, not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government, jointly invests with every province and territory to accelerate the development and adoption of electronic health record projects, including PACS. These secure systems provide the information clinicians need to better support safe care decisions and the information patients need to manage their own health.

To learn more about the difference electronic health record investments are making to the health care of Canadians, visit www.infoway-inforoute.ca.

Digital diagnostic imaging benefits: By the numbers

The benefits of digital diagnostic imaging (DI) systems to Canadians and their health care providers are making a difference every single day across the country. Personal stories attest to the human value of the $337 million Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) has invested in 22 Canadian DI and related projects to date. But when you look at the cold hard facts, the picture is even more impressive. By the end of March, 2009, Infoway estimates 79 per cent of Canadians could benefit from these systems.

How? By the numbers, the use of digitized imaging and supporting systems, known as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications Systems) will:

1. Create up to 30 per cent improvement in radiologists' productivity. That's equivalent to the work of more than 500 radiologists in our health care system.

2. Enable up to 30 per cent improvement in technologists' productivity, which is equal to the work of another 2,900 technologists in our health care system.

3. Allow doctors to save up to 60 minutes a week in decision-making time, which translates to the work of another 500 doctors in our health care system. This time-saving works out to seven million 10-minute physician consults each year.

4. Improve exam report turnaround times by as much as 40 per cent, enabling quicker clinical decisions and more timely treatment.

5. Eliminate as many as 17,000 unnecessary patient transfers between health care facilities. As well, up to one million unnecessary exams are eliminated each year.

6. As many as 40 per cent of radiologists report using PACS to provide services to new or remote sites, improving access in remote geographic areas and populations.

7. Generate up to $1 billion a year in health system efficiencies through increased clinical productivity and reduced patient transfers, duplicate exams and film costs, once PACS is fully in place across the country.

It all adds up to improved access and quality of care for patients and greater productivity for clinicians. To learn more, visit www.infoway-inforoute.ca.

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For more information contact:

Dan Strasbourg
Canada Health Infoway
416.595.3424
dstrasbourg@infoway-inforoute.ca