A snapshot of California Legislation SB-1237 and
strategies to employ a safe program revealed.

As published in ADVANCE for Imaging and Radiation Oncology Magazine

At the forefront of Healthcare's patient safety agenda is the management and tracking of radiation dose across oncology and imaging departments. The current legislation (SB-1237) will take effect in California in July in 2012, but the impact will have far reaching effects that will fundamentally change medical imaging operations and your organization's processes and workflows. Attention and activity being generated in California will carry forward into the legislative halls of other states and accreditation organizations in healthcare.

In this article:
- Review a snapshot of the legislation represented by SB-1237
- Overview a comprehensive radiation reduction program as applied across the imaging care continuum

• Referring Physicians Order
• Acquisition
• Measuring and Reporting
• Mitigation
• Marketing

To read the full article, click here.

VNA Case Study as Featured in Imaging Technology News

Centura Health is the largest healthcare network in Colorado. Dedicated to delivering advanced care to more than a half million people, Centura strives for the highest quality and continuous innovation. To accomplish this, the organization needed to address its transformation and connectivity efforts across patient, people, processes and technologies — the essential ingredients when optimizing clinical performance.

Centura understands that by mastering clinical image data across its care network it will enable clinical improvements, optimize electronic medical record (EMR) investments and drive the organization's interoperability strategy. The key requirements necessary for Centura to adequately consider a VNA solution:

- A roadmap for the single/unified environment to store and disseminate image data while addressing the legacy individual cardiology systems currently in operation at the 13 hospital locations

- Recommendations to enhance interoperability and operational efficiencies of imaging beyond radiology and cardiology for referring physicians across all enterprise departments

- Best Practices to harness and streamline clinical image data to improve clinical decision support and clinical cost-effectiveness

The roadmap and recommendations will allow Centura to unify cardiology and other clinical systems to the overarching IT strategy of connectivity and interoperability. In addition, the organization is developing a Cardiovascular Information System (CVIS) initiative, to consolidate the multiple siloed systems supporting the cardiology services lines. Ultimately, Centura is building a healthcare architecture for the future financial and operational health of the organization. With the help of Ascendian's expertise, Centura is equipped with the required information that will ensure the best possible solution is delivered.

HIT Exchange Media recently spoke with Ascendian Healthcare Consulting President and CEO Shawn McKenzie on how funds from the government are being spent on the adoption of electronic health records.

Two members of the Ascendian executive team, Shawn McKenzie and Jef Williams, have been selected to speak at this year's AHRA Annual Meeting and Exposition in Washington D.C. Their presentation takes place on August 24^th from 8:00am-9:30am and is titled "Succession Planning that Makes Sense Fiscally and Strategically."

Ascendian regularly attends healthcare industry and subject matter specific events throughout the year. We believe that active participation in these events is a privilege and we welcome any opportunity to share the Ascendian story with like minded professionals.