Professor Myron Pozniak, MD, drew from his deep well of CT expertise at the International Society for Computed Tomography (ISCT) 2016 Symposium, making headlines with two of his presentations on department-wide approaches to CT. One lecture focused on preparing radiology departments for a visit from the Joint Commission, and the other dealt with the implementation of a “master protocol concept.”
Documentation is the name of the game when it comes to last year’s new Joint Commission CT standards, according to Pozniak. At the heart of the new stricter accreditation standards is the Medical Imaging and Technology Alliance (MITA) Smart Dose standard, requiring CT scanners to adhere to stringent dose monitoring. However, documenting procedures and staff qualifications can be just as important to radiology departments. Pozniak pointed to four main areas for radiology departments to zero in on: environment of care, human resources, provision of care, and performance improvement.
Read a full synopsis of his presentation at AuntMinnie.com
As for CT Protocol development, Pozniak urged imaging providers to simplify their process by implementing a “master protocol concept.”
Protocols are usually created as needed; when new equipment arrives or a clinician wants a particular scan for a study. This can result in hundreds of protocols for an imaging provider like UW Radiology. Instead, batching protocols by type of study can help radiology departments trim down the total number of scans, making it easier to monitor doses and identify new areas of protocol development.
You can read an in-depth breakdown of his “master protocol concept” strategy at AuntMinnie.com