Month: October 2019

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NRDR DIR Report Format Change Webinar

Effective this reporting cycle (Q3 2019), the DIR changed its report formats. As of October, 2019 the quarterly DIR Aggregate Excel reports we have become accustomed to will no longer be produced. These reports will be replaced by data that is currently available in the corresponding Interactive Aggregate Reports. The DIR held a webinar October 29th describing the changes and giving an introduction on how to use the new reports. Here is a link to a recording of that webinar: Oct 29, 2019 ACR Dose Index Registry Webinar.

As we’ve written in other posts, we believe these are positive changes: The new Tableau-based reports have advantages that the fixed, hard-copy Excel worksheets did not have. Having used the Interactive Reports for some time now, we find them incredibly useful, but they are not without a learning curve.

The challenge: The new report format requires facilities to self-generate much of the information that was previously provided in the fixed report. Based on my experience, some facilities may find having to self-generate some of the reports inconvenient and somewhat confusing, at least without some guidance.

The first step for facilities to make this as easy as possible is to view the webinar at the link above. After that, if you are still finding it challenging, feel free to contact us. Dose Registry Support Services are here to help make the DIR simple to use and understand; and, we can do so at a fraction of the cost of the more expensive third-party applications (which themselves are complex and difficult to use and understand).

In our opinion, the DIR is one of the last, best bargains in healthcare. We’re here to help you make the most of it. If you are attending RSNA and would like to schedule a meeting, or if you would like to speak with us, send an email by clicking here: Dose Registry Support Services.

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Dose Reduction Success Stories

I want to share some exciting information concerning one of our client’s dose reduction successes. I recently completed an analysis of this site’s doses (Total CTDIvol) from 2013 through YTD 2019. This is interesting because during this time period the equipment did not change.

The chart below illustrates what can be accomplished using the ACR’s Dose Index Registry to lower doses over time. The blue column represents the baseline – the average Total CTDIvol for that RPID in 2013, the site’s first year it participated in the DIR. Each column to the right represents the average Total CTDIvol for each subsequent year for that RPID through Q3 2019.

Dose Reduction Successes: The first two sets of columns above show that this client, with our help, has reduced their average Total CTDIvol for their CT Chest studies in 2019 to less than 80% of what it was in 2013, and its average Total CTDIvol for their CT Brain w/o contrast studies in 2019 to about 60% of what they it was in 2013. The chart also shows that their average Total CTDIvol for their CT Neck, Aorta w/ Lower Extremity Angio, Lower Extremity w/o contrast, and IAC studies in 2019 are about 45%, 55%, 40%, and 50% lower, respectively, than they were in 2013. Overall, when reviewing the entirety of the work done at this site each year, the average Total CTDIvol per study in 2019 is about 75% of what it was in 2013.

This chart also illustrates the continuing focus this site placed on this project. Note that, with the exception of the CT Neck, most studies’ Total CTDIvol were reduced gradually. This is illustrative of the site’s continued and long term focus on dose reduction: The management and staff didn’t just look at the process as “one and done;” they looked at this as a long-term process, and continued to look for ways to optimize their doses.

In the end, this is their department’s success story. Using this information, the site is able to show that the radiology department is taking the lead on an important patient safety initiative, and get the recognition they deserve within their institution. Dose Registry Support’s role in this was not to do this work for them: Our role was to help staff understand the DIR, identify where the dose reduction opportunities were, and to point them in the right direction. At the end of the day, this process must be lead by the staff and management on site, working with their radiologists and medical physicists, in order to be successful. Without department/staff leadership, it can’t succeed.

If your site is struggling to use the DIR, Dose Registry Support Services can help. We can make the DIR easy and understandable, and do so at a very low cost. While nothing guarantees success – we are confident we can help those who are motivated and want to succeed.

Contact us for more information. If you are attending RSNA 2019 and would like to meet and discuss our services, we can do so.

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DIR Webinar Describing Dose Reporting Format Changes

Webinar: The DIR is hosting a webinar at 1:00 p.m. CDT on the 29th to review their new reporting formats. Dose Registry Support Services encourages DIR facilities to register for this webinar by clicking on the following link: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2608624724178001666

Details: Effective this reporting period, the NRDR has significantly changed the dose monitoring reports it provides to their enrolled facilities: The NRDR has replaced the hard-copy, color-coded Excel Aggregate Reports with a corresponding set of Interactive Aggregate Reports. The new, Tableau-based, Interactive Aggregate reports offers facilities unprecedented near real time and flexible access to their data in ways the fixed, hard-copy Excel worksheets simply could not.  These changes will alter the general nature of what facilities receive directly from the DIR and what facilities will be responsible for generating themselves.

Dose Registry Support Services believes these are positive changes: The new Tableau-based reports have advantages that the fixed, hard-copy Excel worksheets did not have (albeit the hard-copy reports were easy to understand and use).  Having used the Interactive Reports for some time now, we find them incredibly useful, but they are not without a learning curve.

The challenge: The new report format requires facilities to self-generate some of the reports the most useful reports that were previously compiled and sent directly to them. Some facilities may find having to self-generate some of the reports inconvenient and somewhat confusing, at least without some guidance.

Webinar: To that end, the DIR is hosting a webinar at 1:00 p.m. CDT on the 29th to review the new reports.  Dose Registry Support Services encourages its clients, customers, and friends to register and attend the webinar, by clicking on the link in the first paragraph above.

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Dose Registry Support Services: Are you looking for a CT Dose Monitoring solution or frustrated by the complexity of your current solution? Is your current solution confusing to the point of non-use? If so, please consider DoseID.

DoseID is an affordable, turn-key CT Dose Monitoring service for hospitals, health systems, imaging centers, and physician practices. Our DoseID service leverages your participation in the ACR’s Dose Index Registry to comply with TJC’s mandate to create Expected Dose Ranges for every study the identifies individual exams that exceed their expected range, and it does so with little daily impact on staff and without having to purchase more expensive third-party solutions.

  • Is your department struggling to understand or meet the Joint Commission’s requirement PI.02.01.01 requiring facilities to establish expected dose ranges for every CT exam, identify studies that exceeded the upper threshold, and then review and analyze CT dose incidents – incidents when the actual total dose exceeded your facility’s dose threshold for that exam? 
  • Did your facility purchase an expensive third-party platform only to discover it is too complex and difficult to use, often to the point it goes unused? 
  • If your facility purchased a third-party platform did it have to hire dedicated staff just to use it, or are you struggling to keep staff trained to use it?
  • Is your department still trying to meet this requirement on your own, but finding it difficult and time consuming? 
  • Is department management and/or staff frustrated with your current solution? 
  • Is your facility spending more than $4,000 per year?
  • Would you like a less expensive solution that actually provides you with actionable information your staff can use?

If you answered “yes” to any of the above questions take a look at our DoseID program.  We provide a yearly service at a cost less than many facilities spend in 1 to 3 months on other solutions, and we do most of the work for you.  No hardware or software to purchase; no upfront costs; and, no  long-term commitments. 

Our DoseID program is one of the most cost-effective and user-friendly CT dose optimization programs available designed to meet the Joint Commission’s dose incident identification requirements. 

We are able to do this because we leverage your participation in the ACR’s Dose Index Registry.   The DIR is a powerful tool, yet many facilities fail to grasp its utility or take advantage of it.  We help you leverage your participation in it to optimize your doses and meet TJC’s requirements, and do so at a fraction of the cost of other programs.   

Don’t misunderstand – the expensive third-party platforms are wonderful products, particularly for health systems with large budgets and the staff to use them.  I would never discourage anyone from purchasing them if they have the resources to purchase and use them. However, that is not the world many small to mid-sized community hospitals find themselves in today.  DoseID is designed to meet the needs of facilities that want an effective program, but one which is also affordable and easy to implement and understand.   

Our service requires no up-front costs, no hardware or software to buy, and there are no annual maintenance or support fees to pay. Because this is a service, we do the work for you and work directly with staff to identify dose reduction opportunities. Simple, but very effective. Click here to see what our customers are saying.

For more information visit www.doseregistry.com or email us by clicking here.