Database of Patient Exposure Levels Increases Safety by Monitoring Lifetime Exposure Levels for Patients
BLUFFTON, S.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- CareCore National introduces a proprietary new process to protect patients from the dangers of excess radiation exposure due to diagnostic testing. The company has added Radiation Awareness Protocols™ to its clinical prior authorization and notification programs. These programs will alert treating physicians to the number of prior imaging scans their patients have undergone. The precautionary alert occurs in real time, while referring physicians are obtaining a prior authorization or notification, ensuring efficient care coordination and enhanced patient safety.
“CareCore is now able to aggregate and analyze data from billions of data points based on prior diagnosis and pathway assessments,“ says Dr. Joel Canter, Senior Vice President and Medical Director at CareCore National. “This allows us to give physicians a powerful tool that will advise them, in real-time, about patients’ previous exposure to ionizing radiation from imaging before authorizing the appropriate imaging test for the patient.“
The Radiation Awareness Protocols ™ were developed in response to public, scientific, governmental, and industry concerns about the dangers of excessive radiation from imaging tests such as CT scans. Imaging exams currently account for nearly half of the average population’s exposure to radiation. Half of that exposure is the result of CT scans. The average CT scan of the abdomen and pelvis exposes patients to approximately the same amount of radiation as 1000 chest X-Rays, or the equivalent of more than six years of natural background radiation exposure.
Due to the current lack of care coordination in the healthcare delivery system, many patients undergo multiple imaging studies and repeat imaging procedures ordered in ER departments, primary care physicians’ offices and by specialists. Consequently patients are exposed to high levels of radiation solely because the ordering physician was unaware that a prior study had been performed.
CareCore National’s Radiation Awareness Protocol™ was designed specifically to inform physicians of their patients’ prior radiation exposure and offer critical healthcare data in efforts to prevent unnecessary excessive radiation for prospective at-risk patients. The protocol relies on EMC’s GreenPlum™ data retrieval technology to compile and analyze studies previously approved for individual patients within CareCore’s extensive database. The system then presents the individual patient’s diagnostic imaging history to the requesting physician, including the date of each previous scan.
Warnings generated by CareCore National’s Radiation Awareness Protocols™ and provided to the ordering physician can result in a peer-to-peer conversation with other physicians. Once the warnings are discussed the conclusion may not prevent the ordering physician from continuing with the authorization or notification of the requested study.
About CareCore National
CareCore National, LLC (www.carecorenational.com) provides innovative healthcare solutions that improve quality of care. Our products address a wide array of healthcare services including radiology, cardiology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, sleep apnea, musculoskeletal care and lab services that touch the lives of over 45 million insured across more than 34 Commercial, Medicare Advantage and Managed Medicaid health plans. CareCore solutions utilize the most innovative technologies in healthcare underpinned by partnerships with Cisco, VMWare, EMC2 and GemFire™ combined with clinical expertise from academic and community physicians from across the country. The company is headquartered in Bluffton, SC, and has more than 1200 employees.
CONTACT:
CareCore National LLC
Michael Joslin, 800-918-8924 Ext. 25030
Executive Vice President
[email protected]
KEYWORDS: United States North America South Carolina
INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Technology Data Management Other Technology Health Hospitals Medical Devices General Health
MEDIA: