What are the various components of a radiology information system workflow?

Posted by Nisharao on May 19th, 2017

Radiology Information System (RIS) is a database of patient data and imaging files generated during patient diagnosis. In other words, RIS is a network software system that allows different departments access all medical imagery and related data for a particular patient. RIS not only streamlines diagnosis across various verticals, but also helps doctors get immediate access to the relevant medical records of a particular patient. This helps reduce waiting time and also the possibility of mix up of patient information. RIS not only ensures transparency in the system, but also makes record keeping and billing convenient and easy.

 The various functions of RIS are:

 Patient management and tracking

Radiology Information System streamlines patient management and tracking across the healthcare system. In the traditional paper-based system, the radiology department receives an order and the results are delivered to the patient or the clinician. If the patient returns or a doctor wants to check the results again, then there could be delays. This problem can be solved by RIS. The radiology department receives electronic orders and the final results are saved in a large database. This makes tracking and retrieving the information easy and convenient. So, even if a patient comes back after many months or years, the relevant imagery files can be quickly retrieved from the RIS database.

 Scheduling

Registering a new patient and scheduling an appointment used to be a cumbersome task in the traditional method. With the use of RIS, the staff can easily check the number of orders received and quickly find a time slot to schedule the patient. Based on this schedule, follow up appointments and diagnostic tests can also be easily scheduled.

 Results Reporting

The RIS automatically generates reports and delivers them to the relevant departments. Details such as cancellations, rescheduled appointments, number of orders taking in a particular month, and more reports can be easily generated using Radiology Information System.

 Billing

As all orders and reports are electronically delivered, keeping track of the billing details becomes relatively easy. The finance/accounts department can get the relevant billing details from the RIS and do their tasks.

Documentation

The number and size of files generated by the radiology department is massive. In traditional method, a large storage space was required to keep all the files safe. However, as RIS digitizes all the results and documents, all the necessary documents can be easily stored in a server or cloud. RIS not only maintains all the documents, but also has a clear record of people who accessed the database and the patient records.