What Is The Purpose?
A complete management system, the Radiology Information System or the RIS is a computerized database that is used to facilitate the workflow and management of imagining department equipment and services. Considered the core system for electronically maintaining medical records and associated data, the RIS allows healthcare facilities, to document services and procedure performance, handle results as well as generate a billing record.
How Does It Work?
A highly specialized solution for radiology, the RIS automates the department and is responsible for most of the clinical as well as administrative information management. The Radiology Information System operates by integrating a variety of functions into one extremely comprehensive structure.
The core features of RIS include:
Order and Resource Scheduling
RIS supervises the patient scheduling for the various imaging services and procedures that take place. The system efficiently accomplishes coordination of patient and facility availability, as well as the maintenance and easy access to previous documentation.
Patient and Image Tracking
By use of the Radiology Information System, healthcare providers are able to track the entire medical history of a patient along with tracing individual radiological films and details. This feature allows the radiologists to adequately plan a patient’s future appointment based on past and present situations.
Documentation
The documentation feature of the RIS eliminates the paper-based documentation processes in a medical institution. This allows for the maintenance of a complete medical and history of a patient along with highlighted essential details such as allergy information, preauthorization and consent, indications for procedures, radiation, and medication dosage details, and much more.
Result Report Generation
The RIS is able to generate a comprehensive procedural report for patients. It can also compile and deliver statistical reports based on the data provided and required. The results of imaging procedures are directly available within the system to be easily accessed by clinicians and patients alike.
Billing and Payment Management
A Radiology Information System keeps detailed financial records of patients. It processes the insurance and financial information to initiate and process electronic payments along with any and all reimbursements required as necessary.
Material Management
This program is also a complete inventory guide for the institution. By using the RIS, administrators can keep track of supplies, medical or otherwise, as well as maintain elaborate documentation on expenses incurred.
Who Benefits From The RIS?
The RIS is a specialized electronic record system that provides structure for the overall management and operation of a radiological department. However, it is not just the radiologist that gains from the implementation of this system.
Patients, clinicians, IT managers, and administrators all benefit from the RIS. It allows improved delivery of care for the patients, more accurate diagnosis and reduction of errors for the clinician and offers workflow flexibility for IT managers. It eases the workload for administrators by presenting an integrated platform with a variety of tools, applications and management accessories at their disposal under one roof.
Additionally, RIS improves referral relations between physicians and care-receivers, enhances patient satisfaction, and increases productivity along with revenues.
RIS and its Relation to PACS
A majority of the Radiology Information Systems available today have the capacity to integrate with the Picture Archiving and Communication System or the PACS. The RIS usually interfaces with the PACS to provide the necessary patient information in order to facilitate the completion of the image storage process and allow for an easy retrieval when required.
