Lakeridge Health is founding an exciting, first-of-its-kind partnership with the Ontario Clinical Imaging Network (OCINet).
Currently, Lakeridge Health is using two different Picture Archiving Communication Systems (PACS) across its Diagnostic Imaging network. This can result in longer wait times for results for the thousands of patients who rely on our imaging services.
Thanks to donor support of Our Cancer Campaign, Lakeridge Health will implement a new PACS that will be used across the Central East Hospital Cluster (CEHC). This remarkable step forward in Diagnostic Imaging will significantly impact patient care.
PACS is an archiving system that stores diagnostic imaging tests. Lakeridge Health was one of the first health care systems to embrace this new platform, which allows results to be saved and transferred quickly and easily.
The impact of the new PACS will be felt across our Region and beyond. All five Lakeridge Health Hospitals and many in the CEHC will soon have the same cloud-based access to patient files. Wilson Yiu, Diagnostic Imaging Manager of MRI and Nuclear Medicine & EIMS/PACS, is excited about what this means for staff and patients.
“Image sharing between Hospitals will be easier and more secure while eliminating many of the delays we’re currently seeing in sending and receiving studies,” explains Yiu. “This new system means we’ll have a secure and safe means to store and send our imaging studies and faster image retrieval across the board.”
If a health care facility needs access to a patient’s imaging results, but the scans were completed at a location that doesn’t rely on the same shared system or regional archiving, it can be a time-consuming process to acquire the outcomes. The facility may need to file a formal release of information request before being allowed to review any available patient imaging. The localized regional archive will help eliminating this step.
With the integration of the five Lakeridge Health hospitals and other members of the CEHC, medical experts will have seamless access to patient records, allowing more time for review and planning. Patients can still access their imaging through MyChart or Pocket Health.
“Having two distinct systems (across Lakeridge Health) has been difficult,” says Yiu. “This will put us one step closer to standardization and a unified Lakeridge Health and our vision of One System. Best Health.”
The new PACS also has applications that will benefit other patient care areas. This includes advanced post-processing and image reconstruction capabilities and an application orthopedic surgeons can use for planning and templating.
“There’s even the option for radiologist and technologist peer review programs to be set up with anonymous study sharing and review,” Yiu shares.
Lakeridge Health’s Diagnostic Imaging Department is thrilled to join this partnership with OCINet and streamline access to patient studies. On behalf of our medical experts, patients and their families, thank you for helping Lakeridge Health advance Diagnostic Imaging in Durham Region.
