Multimodality Breast Imaging Workstation Streamlines Digital Workflow

Healthcare facilities are turning to vendor-neutral, multimodality breast imaging workstations to streamline reading of digital breast exams.

"Productivity at many U.S. facilities is hampered by the need to read full-field digital mammography [FFDM] exams on each vendor's proprietary workstation, and then switch to additional workstations to review other types of breast exams. The need for an efficient workflow is driving strong sales for our flexible multimodality workstation,” said Stephen W. Archer, director of worldwide marketing, mammography solutions, Carestream Health, Inc. (Rochester, NY, USA).

The Kodak Carestream mammography workstation enables diagnostic review of all breast imaging exams (FFDM, ultrasound, magnetic resonance [MR], computed radiography [CR], and others) as well as all general radiology exams. Radiologist Lori Strachowski, M.D., played a leading role in selecting a new breast imaging workstation platform for San Francisco General Hospital's Avon Breast Center (CA, USA). "Carestream Health's multimodality workstation can integrate with an existing PACS [picture archiving and communications system] and all vendors' FFDM systems. It's easy to use and it also offers mammography-specific functionality that is important for productive reading,” she said. "This combination of features is exactly what we were looking for.”

Carestream Health's workstation provides many timesaving features including user-customizable hanging protocols and an eight-key programmable mouse. "Our RIS [radiology information system]/PACS administrator created my protocols to mimic the image presentation I was used to with film. This made it very easy to transition to a digital environment,” said radiologist Eric Jelinger, M.D., of Joint Township District Memorial Hospital (St. Mary's, OH, USA). "I also appreciate being able to initiate commands with the mouse while continuously viewing images.”

Productivity gains offered by the workstation can be both immediate and dramatic. "Carestream Health's workstation is extremely well designed. It is easy to use and offers all the tools needed for reading of breast exams. After just 30 days our radiologists were reporting a 20% increase in reading volumes,” explained PACS administrator Rick Adams, St. John Health System (Tulsa OK, USA).

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