Medical imaging-quality assessment and improvement system (QAISys)

• US 20050256743A1
• Filed: 05/10/2005
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Richard B. Dale
• Original Assignee: Richard B. Dale
• Inventors: Dale, Richard B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,680,308 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/2
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/20 for handling medical images, e.g. DICOM, HL7 or PACS
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 30/40 for processing medical images, e.g. editing
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/20 for the management or administration of healthcare resources or facilities, e.g. managing hospital staff or surgery rooms
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 40/60 for the operation of medical equipment or devices
• CPC Class Codes: G16H 50/20 for computer-aided diagnosis, e.g. based on medical expert systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 128/922 including image analysis

Abstract

The business method known as QAISys (Quality Assessment and Improvement System) is a process that rates comprehensively and continually the quality of medical images as determined by the interpreting radiologist. The output of this system conveys feedback from the radiologist to the performing technologist and his/her supervisor. This feedback enables medical radiologists, technologists, and managers to bridge any communication gaps between themselves in respect to the quality and effectiveness of medical images. It permits management to assess and track image quality for an entire medical imaging department by modality, location, and/or shift, and for each individual technologist. The QAISys method reveals the nature of recurrent quality failures and highlights which exam types need to be improved. QAISys then indicates practical, cost-effective means of assessing and improving the overall medical images for future patients.

Claims

1. A business method for improving the results of medical images using a feed back system from a radiologist to a technologist, the method comprising:

a). displaying to the radiologist an image of a test taken by the technologist for a patient;

b). providing a means for the radiologist to evaluate the image quality;

c). providing a means for entering the evaluation of the image to a database;

d). providing a means to manipulate the data and present it in graphical, table and other data formats to the technologists, supervisor of technologists and other members of a health care providers;

e). using the data as a basis for interaction; and

f). interacting among the technologists, the supervisor of technologists, the radiologists, and the other members of the health care providers

whereby the feedback and assessment of data is utilized with the technologist for his/her specific improvement of his/her capability to provide comparatively higher quality medical images and the overall quality of the medical images of the health care provider is improved.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the means to evaluate the medical image is by using a dissatisfaction factor which the radiologist determines and the dissatisfaction factor directly related to the quality of the image.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the means to evaluate the medical image is by establishing and using a Quality Rating for which the radiologist has determined and indicated his/her professional input related to the quality of the medical image.

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the means for entering the evaluation is by the radiologist directly inputting the dissatisfaction factor by directly keying the value into the QAISys data base through a series of drop-down input screens on a computer monitor connected to the QAISys database.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein the means for entering the evaluation is by the radiologist indirectly inputting the dissatisfaction factor by dictating (audio) the dissatisfaction factor which is in turn transcribed to a written narrative which is provided to the supervisor of the technologists for entering the dissatisfaction factor directly into the QAISys database.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein the means for manipulating the data base evaluation is a QAISys data base with pre-determined statistical analyses programmed into the system

whereby the pre-programmed analysis tools permit the supervisor, the technologist and the health care provider to query the database by the individual technologist, departments, location and other categories in order to establish quality improvement plans and have trend lines to review results and continue positive reinforcement of improvements by technologist in the quality of medical images.

7. The method according to claim 1 wherein the use of the data as a basis of interaction is by providing individual and department data to the technologist and by having face-to-face individual meetings between the supervisor and technologist in order to review trends and set training plans for improvement.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein the use of the data and quality feedback may be directly accessed by an individual technologist for monitoring trends and improvement outside of direct performance reviews with a supervisor.

9. The method according to claim 1 wherein the use of the data as a basis of interaction is by providing individual and department data to the health care provider institution in order that training budgets, equipment upgrades and other appropriate management actions may be incorporated with the improved capability of the technologists

whereby the quality of the medical images may be improved to a level where patient satisfaction rises, overall quality ratings increase, liability insurance decreases and net cost for medical images decrease.

10. The method according to claim 1 wherein the use of the data as a basis of interaction is by providing groups of technologists with department data and by having improvement team meetings between the supervisor and the other technologists

whereby trends are reviewed, training plans set, and higher scoring technologists may share their techniques with other technologists to encourage transfer of skills and mentoring in order to improve the overall capability of the department.

11. A method of managing quality improvement of medical images comprising:

a). collecting an evaluation (by a radiologist) of a specific medical image completed by a specific technologist that performed a medical imaging test on a patient;

b). processing and storing the evaluation data of the test and various other demographic data related to the test and the patient; and

c). analyzing, displaying and reporting the data in various comparisons of the technologist, the department and other categories

whereby the data is utilized with the technologist for his/her specific improvement of his/her capability to provide comparatively higher quality medical images and the overall quality of the medical images of the health care provider is improved.

12. The processing and storing according to claim 11 wherein

a). the feedback on dissatisfaction as to the image is collected from the radiologist,

b). that feedback is translated into dissatisfaction values,

c). the values are formulated and tracked as quality ratings for a specific technologist and/or a specific department, and

d). the quality ratings are appropriately shared among the personnel

whereby trends are reviewed, training plans set, and higher scoring technologists may share their techniques with other technologists to encourage transfer of skills and mentoring in order to improve the overall capability of the department.

13. A business method of managing quality improvement of medical images comprising:

a). a patient visits a medical doctor;

b). the medical doctor prescribes a medical imaging test;

c). the patient registers at a hospital/medical clinic;

d). the patient specific data is entered into a radiology information system and/or a hospital information system at the hospital/clinic;

e). a technologist performs a medical imaging test, enters the data into the radiology information. system, and enters a digital image into a picture/image archival system;

f). the technologist at the point of the imaging test enters additional information not transferred from a radiology and/or hospital information system with respect to the equipment, test environment, including an evaluation of the patient as to test compatibility, a status of the test machine, and the code of the specific technologist into a QAISys database;

g). the digital medical image is transferred to a radiologist (at the health care facility or at remote location);

h). the radiologist reviews the image and evaluates the image;

i). the radiologist makes a test result report (audio/transcribed) with respect to the image quality and other known factors and determines a dissatisfaction value of the image created by the specific technologist;

j). a means to record and enter the various data of the medical image including the dissatisfaction value for each test into the QAISys data base in order to assign and track the data to a specific technologist'"'"'s account;

k). the QAISys database is manipulated to give results in a manageable form;

l). various analyses and statistics are performed to formulate a resultant quality rating;

m). the resultant quality ratings (numerical, graphical, and descriptive messages) may be provided by category, by location, by modality, by the individual technologist'"'"'s code, by department, and similar categories;

n). the rating is used by the technologist and his/her supervisor to establish a quality improvement plan for the individual technologist;

o). the supervisor compiles a department rating from several quality ratings for the technologists;

p). the supervisor uses the individual and department data from the technologists to plan improvement training, to provide reward opportunities, and to provide information on critical shortfalls of certain technologists; and

q). the supervisor meets with the individual technologists and the departments to address concerns and to plan quality/performance improvement

whereby the data is utilized with the technologist for his/her specific improvement of his/her capability to provide comparatively higher quality medical images and the overall quality of the medical images of the health care provider is improved.

14. The method according to claim 13 wherein the evaluation means is the radiologist providing a dissatisfaction factor to a specific image of a specific technologist based on if the medical image was readable, did it need to be re-done, was it properly “

centered”

, and other rejection of the medical image based on the quality of the image.

15. The method according to claim 13 wherein the use of the data as a basis of interaction is by providing groups of technologists with department data and by having improvement team meetings between the supervisor and the other technologists

whereby trends are reviewed, training plans set, and higher scoring technologists may share their techniques with other technologists to encourage transfer of skills and mentoring in order to improve the overall capability of the department.

16. The method according to claim 13 wherein the manner of inputting the dissatisfaction factor use of the data as a basis of interaction is by the radiologist directly inputting the dissatisfaction factor by directly keying the value into the QAISys data base through a series of drop-down input screens on a computer monitor connected to the QAISys database.

17. The method according to claim 13 wherein the means for entering the evaluation is by the radiologist indirectly inputting the dissatisfaction factor by dictating (audio) the dissatisfaction factor which is in turn transcribed to a written narrative which is provided to the supervisor of the technologists for entering the dissatisfaction factor directly into the QAISys database.

18. The QAISys method according to claim 13 wherein the means for entering, recording, and tracking, the data is a relatively simple “

stand alone”

computer based system for smaller health care facilities.

19. The QAISys method according to claim 13 wherein the means for entering, recording, and tracking the data is a relatively simple system compatible with relatively complex hospital information systems and/or radiology information systems.