Communication Is Key

The Society for Imaging Informatics in Medicine (SIIM) will be holding its 2009 Annual Meeting in Charlotte, N.C., from Thursday, June 4 through Sunday, June 7 at the Charlotte Convention Center. SIIM continues to provide physicians, healthcare IT decision-makers, PACS administrators, and vendors from around the world the opportunity to explore the emerging field of informatics.

To frame the experience, the opening session reminds attendees that the key to successful use of informatics is communication, and the facilitators demonstrate the multiple interlocking communications cycles in medical imaging from order entry through final result delivery.

In the closing session, “The Flattened World as the New Enterprise: Threats, Opportunities, and the Role of Imaging IT,” a panel of experts from both the practitioner and the vendor communities will discuss how imaging IT can be leveraged to enhance the relevance and value of service providers, instead of commoditizing their services. Two more general sessions throughout will allow for more opportunities to touch base with fellow imaging professionals.

New Structure, New Opportunities

The format for this year’s meeting has been adjusted to have nine learning tracks for a more focused, interactive experience.

Each track will offer an education, scientific, and applied learning session, each emphasizing problem-solving and cost-effective solutions that the attendees can apply immediately at their facilities. The tracks are: Basics of Imaging Informatics, Communicating Results, Image Acquisition and Management, Advanced Visualization, Enterprise Imaging, PACS Operations, Breast Imaging Informatics, Imaging Center PACS, and Interoperability and Integration.

The educational session for the Communicating Results track will explore the problems associated with effective communication and present various solutions, as it is imperative to meeting patient safety goals.

Experts Paul Chang, MD, FSIIM, of University of Chicago, Pritzker School of Medicine; Ramin Khorasani, MD, MPH, of Brigham & Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School in Boston; and Nabile Safdar, MD, of University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, will facilitate this exploration as the participants and presenters work through the concept of communication as a series of closed-loop cycles between patient clinical providers, technologists, and radiologists.

Other educational sessions include a session for PACS operational policies and procedures, the challenges and turf battles associated with enterprise imaging, and advanced integration strategies, to name a few. All sessions are meant to be quite interactive and discussion-based so that participants are able to meet their own objectives as well as those set for the sessions.

The scientific sessions featured in the new meeting format this year will include 44 abstracts presented throughout the tracks, designed to examine theories, concepts, and experiments developed by imaging informatics professionals. Associated posters and demonstrations will be on display in the convention center throughout the weekend.

The PACS Operation track will cover several areas of interest, including the intriguing “Effect of Baroque Classical Music on Mood, Concentration, Perceived Diagnostic Accuracy, Productivity, and Work Satisfaction of Diagnostic Radiologists,” presented by Paras C. Lakhani, MD, of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. This abstract will test the theory that classical music from the Baroque period improves a radiologist’s productivity and accuracy. Papers and abstracts are eligible for the Roger A. Bauman Student Paper Award and the New Investigator Travel Award.

In the Applied Learning sessions, participants will benefit from smaller groups and a more informal atmosphere to foster mentoring relationships while exploring practical imaging informatics solutions in a variety of formats. For instance, in the “Critical Test Results Workflow Demonstration,” attendees join a simulation on the multiple interlocking communications cycles in medical imaging necessary for the delivery of critical and urgent test results.

The “Open Source Plug Fest” allows attendees to network while browsing the latest, most successful open-source projects used in informatics. Purchase your ticket in advance, as this session is only available at a first-come, first-served basis.

Get in (Imaging) Shape!

Come a day early and take advantage of the Imaging Informatics Professional (IIP) Bootcamp, designed for all physicians, PACS administrators, physicists, IT managers, technologists, and engineers who want to strengthen their understanding of the fundamentals of imaging enterprise management systems. This bootcamp takes the place of the more narrowly focused IIP Symposium, which was offered for the past six years.

The new SIIM IIP Bootcamp is a full day of intense training designed to sharpen participants’ knowledge base and also teach new skills – all to optimize performance in the workplace. The bootcamp will conclude with a faculty-led interactive panel session as well as a review and test-taking tips. This pre-meeting opportunity is worth up to nine hours of Category 1 CME credit, CAMPEP, and Category A continuing education credit.

Or perhaps instead the Practical Informatics for the Imaging Physician Bootcamp will whip you into shape. This bootcamp is designed to provide radiologists and physicians, who use imaging in their practice of other specialties, with up-to-date solutions for current workflow and communication challenges.

On Sunday, the bootcamp will feature several cleverly named sessions from leading experts, including “Marriage Counseling: Working Together to Maximize Efficiency,” “We Never Talk Anymore: Communication in the Electronic Age,” “PACS for the Extended Family: Digital Imaging Issues in Pathology,” and “Divorce Counseling: Changing PACS.”

This bootcamp is included in the meeting registration fee and will help participants spend fewer evenings at work by helping you to become more productive and efficient. Well worth the wait, speakers include some of the most knowledgeable and entertaining in the industry.

Take a Rest

Of course, not everything at this meeting is about learning. The meeting committee has planned several opportunities to unwind with colleagues in an informal setting. On Saturday, networking receptions will take place in close proximity but categorized by professional area including CIIP, Imaging Physicians and Scientists, IT Directors and CIOs, and Imaging Informatics Professionals.

Other opportunities to discuss key issues concerning your
profession include roundtable breakfasts covering a broad range of topics on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday morning. On Thursday evening and Saturday afternoon, study with other IIPs to prepare for the upcoming ABII Imaging Informatics Professional Certification. You can register for these CIIP study groups at the registration desk for no additional fee.

The exhibit hall is always a great place to learn and relax. See the latest technology in both products and services without missing a beat. The exhibit hall is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 9:30 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, but the meeting committee also built in dedicated time between sessions for you to see what some of the industry’s top companies have to offer.

If you really want to take a break, explore Charlotte and bring your appetite! Charlotte hosts a food festival from Friday through Sunday only two blocks from the convention center. As part of the festival, local and regional bands will perform in local restaurants, at the festival, and on the streets. Admission is free, and a festival map is available at the registration desk.

— Jennifer Pilling, MA, is a freelance writer based in Pennsylvania. Questions and comments can be directed to editorial@rt-image.com.