Using Hl7 And Dicom To Improve Operational Workflow Efficiency In Radiology

Radiology departments are increasingly asked to do more with less annual budget and to remain competitive while managing bottom lines. Identifying opportunities to improve workflow efficiency is an important aspect of managing a department and reducing associated costs. Workflow enhancement tools can be built by making use of HL7 and DICOM messages that are directly related to various workflow steps. In this paper, we discuss the importance of using both HL7 and DICOM to determine more accurate metrics related to granular workflow operations, such as distinguishing between billing and operational exam volumes. Using a production dataset, we also demonstrate how visualization can be used to provide better visibility into routine radiology operations.