Elizabethtown DI exceeds standard performance markers set by the RBMA

Opening day for any business is generally a nerve-wracking experience. Last-minute surprises are not uncommon. For Shonna Galloway, administrator for the brand-new Elizabethtown Diagnostic Imaging, however, the day before her employer's grand opening in October 2007 was one she'll never forget.

"We had been asked to use a particular billing and scheduling software system by the parent company of our new practice. The day before our opening, my staff and I were in the basement at the home of one of our physician owners, gathered around a single monitor, as the company trainer tried to explain how the software operated. Fifteen minutes into the demo, the physician pulled me aside and said, 'This is never going to work. We'll never be able to function with this software.' I said, 'Let me call MedInformatix and see what they can do."

For some weeks, Galloway had been lobbying for Elizabethtown DI to go with the MedInformatix Radiology Information System (RIS). "I had used MedInformatix's software at two previous businesses and was completely sold on its capabilities and convenience," she said. "I never knew until that day, though, how well the company could respond to a new installation."

Within 24 hours, MedInformatix sent a training rep to Elizabethtown, 35 miles south of Louisville, Kentucky, along with 15 workstations for Galloway and her staff to use. Incredibly, with just 30 minutes of training, the team was ready to put the MedInformatix RIS to work on the very first day.

"MedInformatix is so intuitive. I can't say that about other software packages," Galloway said. "Not only is it very easy to learn, but information flows are so clear and accessible that everyone can pull up the data they need to do their jobs, from the same database. No more paper to carry around."

MedInformatix's Radiology Information System is an end-to-end practice management package that accommodates the needs of both small and large radiology clinics. The system is bi-directional with other key software applications including dictation and PACS, and can be customized to meet the particular workflow and business rules of individual practices.

Elizabethtown Diagnostic Imaging chose to implement virtually the entire MedInformatix suite of modules including scheduling, registration, technologist and radiologist workflows, and EDI custom reporting. "Our preference was to use Nuance Healthcare's PowerScribe for our physician's voice transcription needs. MedInformatix RIS can be configured so PowerScribe launches automatically, making it easy for our MDs to do their reports," Galloway said. "Generally our results are issued to the referring physician within 30 minutes to two hours of the patient visit."

As remarkable as the implementation of the MedInformatix RIS was at Elizabethtown DI, however, operational results have been even more impressive. In the two years since the clinic--now performing 600 exams per week--opened its doors, it has exceeded every standard performance marker set by the Radiology Business Management Association (RBMA).

"Using the RBMA scorecard to gauge our levels of efficiency, we're doing exceptionally well," Galloway reported. "Our accounts receivable days are nearly half the national average, and our net collection rate beats the typical practice by nearly 4%." She added that the ability to generate reports through the MedInformatix RIS in Crystal Reports, and subsequently export them to Microsoft Excel, allows her to stay on top of key performance indicators.

"I believe our clinic would be adding at least 25 to 30% more administrative cost with any other RIS alternative on the market," Galloway stated. "We succeed as a business because of our reputation for efficiency--and MedInformatix has been a big part of that story."