GE Medical Introduces ReportCARD™ For Faster, More Consistent Cardiac MRI Reporting
Innovative Tool Significantly Reduces Review, Analysis and Reporting Time
WAUKESHA, Wis. – GE Medical Systems, a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE: GE), today unveiled a new software tool that will enable physicians who conduct cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies to report their findings more quickly and consistently, improving the timeliness and quality of their diagnostic reports.
“Until now, there has not been a standardized way of reporting cardiac MRI results,” says Steven D. Wolff, MD, PhD, Chief of Cardiovascular MRI at Lenox Hill Hospital, New York. “The ReportCARD presents a concise, clear overview of the patient’s condition that enables the referring physician to quickly see the results of the exam and understand the implications.”
The physician uses ReportCARD software on a dedicated workstation. As a cardiac exam is being conducted on the MRI scanner, the images are automatically sent to the workstation. In one sitting, the physician can review the images, analyze the data and create a report.
The functions are integrated, reducing the number of steps in the diagnostic process. For example, when the physician makes a measurement from an image – such as the thickness of the cardiac wall – the resulting value automatically populates the appropriate box in the report. This automation not only saves time, but also helps to prevent errors that might occur if the measurement had to be manually re-entered into the report.
“ReportCARD focuses on physician throughput, an important issue given the nationwide shortage of radiologists and the increase in cardiac MRI studies,” says Dr. Wolff. “Cardiac MRI studies often have several hundred images, which can be quite time-consuming for the physician to review, analyze and report. ReportCARD automates the process to a remarkable degree, saving time and decreasing the likelihood of errors.”
Dr. Wolff estimates that reviewing, analyzing and reporting with ReportCARD takes half the time compared with other methods, while vastly improving the quality of the diagnostic report.
On ReportCARD, the patient’s abnormal values are automatically highlighted in red. The radiologist can include any number of images, graphs, charts and other graphic devices to support and explain the findings. Information is presented in a consistent format, from patient to patient, so that referring physicians know exactly where to look for the information they need.
“ReportCARD addresses two key imperatives in healthcare today – preventing errors and increasing efficiency,” says Dennis Cooke, General Manager of Global Magnetic Resonance Imaging for GE Medical Systems. “We’re pleased to be able to offer this very practical and beneficial tool to our cardiac MR customers.”
ReportCARD is available as an optional software package for GE Signa® EXCITE™ 1.5T systems with cardiovascular imaging capabilities. GE Medical has the largest installed base of cardiovascular MR systems in the world.
About GE Medical Systems
GE Medical Systems is a $9 billion global leader in medical imaging, interventional procedures, healthcare services, and information technology. Its offerings include networking and productivity tools, clinical information systems, patient monitoring systems, surgery and vascular imaging, conventional and digital X-ray, computed tomography, electron beam tomography, magnetic resonance, ultrasound and bone mineral densitometry, positron emission tomography, nuclear medicine, and a comprehensive portfolio of clinical and business services. For more than 100 years, health care providers worldwide have relied on GE Medical Systems for high quality medical technology and productivity solutions. For more information, visit the GE Medical Systems Web site at www.gemedical.com
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