Diagnostics Improvement

Image Exchange Portal – are you connected yet?

Image Exchange Portal (IEP) is a web-based solution that enables the transfer of digital images between NHS organisations and independent health providers. It improves the ability to share patients' diagnostic information. It has been deployed across the UK since January 2010

Advantages of IEP

• secure transferral of patient images
• reports can be sent with the images
• eliminates the costly production of CDs
• it streamlines radiology reporting
• speedier access to images and reports for meetings
• improved patient experience due to the streamlined exchange of diagnostic results
• more efficient use of staff time

Disadvantages of burning images onto CDs

• costly – average £12.50 per CD, including hardware and staff time
• risk of lost CDs between hospitals
• CDs can be sent to the wrong location in the hospital wasting valuable time
• wasted time and resources replacing lost/misplaced CDs
• CD’s may have poor image quality
• reports cannot be burned onto the CD with the images

How it works

• The requestor completes a simple electronic request form on IEP containing the patient identifiable data and details of the image required
• The providing Trust receives the details of the request on a work list in IEP and also by an alert email to named personnel. On the same worklist, there is a ‘status’ field indicating if the images are waiting, have been delivered or the request has been declined
• The receiving Trust views the PACS worklist via IEP and selects the requested images. Once identified, the images are sent with the option of sending them with a ‘blue light’ alert
• Within minutes the requesting Trust receives the images and again named personnel automatically receive an alert email

The IEP Network

Transfer facts and figures

Daily number of studies transferred average - 2600 Number of registered users 160, 295 Studies transferred in 235,000 (45 million images) Studies transferred in January 46,000 (9 million images)

Impact on the patient experience

The safe and streamlined transfer of images and reports is key to ensure rapid diagnosis and treatment of patients. The impact of a rapid transfer includes:

• Rapid access for a secondary radiologist opinion from speciality centres
• Images are readily available for MDT meetings at tertiary centres
• Urgent transfer of images and report for emergency care for patients e.g multi trauma
• Transfer of images to accompany transfer of patient care, eg cancer/stroke patients
• Transfer of images back to patient’s local hospital for follow up care

Summary of costs

Below are the indicative costs of implementing IEP. (These costs should be verified by the supplier)

Summary

Since departments have converted to digital imaging, there have been a number of methods of transferring images between Trusts. In the earlier days, burning images onto CDs was the most common method, and is still frequently used today. There are other methods of transferring images via networks which do have the advantages over CDs. However, this often still involves the manual process of telephoning a department for the images and a manual documentation procedure monitoring the status of the request. Also, the report commonly cannot be lined with the images

IEP has the advantage of networking images with an automated process. This streamlines the whole process, with reduced risk of lost requests and images. These tasks are often carried out by radiographers. By using the IEP system, this frees up their professional time to clinical tasks.

Dr Erika Denton – PACS medical director says “ it is a major step towards ensuring that diagnostic Imaging information can be shared along a patients pathway in a secure way”

For further information about IEP the website is: http://www.image-exchange.co.uk

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