Memorial Hermann Southeast

Memorial Hermann to Employ Cutting-Edge Radiology Image Management and Sharing ...

HOUSTON, June 16, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a move that expands its technological capabilities and further differentiates Memorial Hermann as an innovative leader in the greater Houston area,the hospital system has implemented a cutting-edge, cloud-based medical image sharing platform that vastly enhances image management, distribution and data exchanges between referring physicians and hospitals in southeast Texas. Memorial Hermann is among the first in Texas to employ this image-sharing technology.

Powered by DICOM Grid , provider of a cloud-based platform for medical imaging management applications, the technology greatly increases the quality of care, patient safety and business continuity between Memorial Hermann's hospitals, Imaging Centers, affiliated physicians and other providers in the community. Memorial Hermann's enterprise-wide technology initiative improves service and promotes tighter integration with facilities that refer patients to its Level One trauma center and physicians that utilize any of the 28 Memorial Hermann Imaging Centers.

"DICOM Grid eliminates the need for CDs and traditional radiology film because authorized facilities can now easily and instantly transmit images to our Level One trauma center or receive radiology studies from our Imaging Centers, including MRI and CT scans, via the system," said David Bradshaw, Chief Information, Marketing and Planning Officer at Memorial Hermann.

"This technology has the potential to revolutionize patient care," said James McCarthy, M.D., emergency medicine physician at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center/UTHealth. "The image sharing capability accelerates diagnosis and treatment and helps avoid unnecessary imaging tests. Images can now arrive to our emergency center well-ahead of patients, allowing the studies to be read and the clinicians to be prepped and ready-to-go as soon as patients come through our doors."

According to Bradshaw, Memorial Hermann selected DICOM Grid because its functionality, flexibility, scalability and cloud-based architecture best enable the healthcare system to meet the clinical and business demands of a rapidly evolving health system. The solution sharply improves imaging management, distribution and data exchange, offering radiologists and physicians 24/7 access to images captured within the network of providers that use the service. He added that it significantly streamlines workflow and quality care, especially for trauma patients, across the system.

Memorial Hermann Katy Named Among The Nation's 100 Top Hospitals ...

Six Memorial Hermann hospitals were among those named in the Thompson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals listing for 2011.

Memorial Hermann’s hospitals were the only ones in the Houston-area to earn the recognition.

The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performance in 10 key areas. Those include mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia.

The study has been conducted annually since 1993.

Collectively, Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital, Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital, Memorial Hermann Northwest Hospital and Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital were awarded in the teaching hospitals category.  For the second year in a row, Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital was recognized in the medium community hospitals category. For the first time, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land Hospital was awarded in the small community hospitals category.  

“Memorial Hermann is gratified that six of our hospitals were rated by Thomson Reuters to be among the Top 100 U.S. hospitals in 2011,” said Michael Shabot, M.D., chief medical officer for Memorial Hermann.  “Thomson Reuters provides an objective evaluation based on calculations made on publicly reported quality, safety and patient satisfaction measurements from all hospitals in the country.  The result of those calculations is that six Memorial Hermann hospitals were ranked in the upper 1 percent of all hospitals in the country.  We want only the best for our patients and this recognition indicates we are delivering it.”

To conduct the 100 Top Hospitals study, Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 2,914 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals. They used public information including Medicare cost reports, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review data and core measures and patient satisfaction data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hospital Compare website.

Hospitals do not apply for the recognition, and winners do not pay to market the honor.

The winning hospitals were announced in the March 28 edition of “Modern Healthcare” magazine.

“This year’s 100 Top Hospitals award winners have delivered exemplary results, despite volatility from healthcare reform,” said Jean Chenoweth, senior vice president at Thomson Reuters. “The leadership teams at these organizations have dealt with enormous ambiguity, yet remained focused on mission and excellence, which drove national benchmarks to new highs.

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