Tips to Improve Diagnostic Radiology Report TAT
With the transition to the value-based care model, improving TAT has become an important goal for radiology departments. Here are some top strategies for faster reporting of imaging results.
Radiology reports contain details about clinical presentation, diagnostic impression, examination procedure, and contrast administration. They also include recommendations on follow-up and other radiological or non-radiological investigations. Report turnaround time (TAT) is a critical element in diagnostic radiology as delays in reporting affects all the stakeholders – the radiologist, referring provider, patient, and administrator.
Radiology departments track and seek to improve several types of report turnaround times, which differ for the various stakeholders. They can rely on medical transcription companies to ensure accurate and timely imaging reports.
Important strategies that experts recommend to improve radiology TAT are –
Improve Practice Workflow and Activities
o Evaluate department workflow and make changes to lower TAT
o Ensure an efficient RIS/PACS system with well-integrated tools
o Identify, assess and fix paper-based processes that can cause delays
o Develop a standard set of image viewing instructions for different reading situations
o Use data to support potential investment in new hardware, software, or personnel
o Train physicians to efficiently manage and share images, teaching files, and reference case information
o Ensure that PAC systems can support increasing workloads
o Check whether separating PACS administration from RIS administration can save time
Ensure Proper Study Prioritization
o Referring physicians need to be educated on ranking ordered studies based on a patient’s condition
Limit Distractions
o Prevent interruptions such as calls from slowing down the radiologist
Implement New Technology
o Use AI-enabled solutions, structured reporting and voice recognition
Turnaround times for reports differ. While some tests such as chest X-rays for pneumonia or CT scans for brain bleeds require 15 minutes to interpret, others take a longer to read. TAT in radiology reporting is even more critical in the emergency department (ED).
According to radiology experts, expediting TAT to generate reports is crucial to increase throughput in the ED and provide better care. To ensure accuracy, imaging reports can be sent for proofreading and editing to a reliable radiology transcription company that can expedite these time-sensitive items.