FAQs

What is Telemedicine?
“The use of electronic information and communication technologies to provide and support health care when distance separates the participants…” -Institute of Medicine:

Telemedicine: A Guide to Assessing Telecommunications in Health Care.

Why choose DIANAssociates?

• Experience and corporate culture provide a gold standard for responsiveness no other company can duplicate. DIANA was founded to support a telehealth program requiring a 4 hour turnaround of image interpretations in geographically remote areas within the U.S., without the convenience of backup equipment in the facility or the ability to reschedule patients.
• DIANA has established the telehealth gold standard for corporate culture responsiveness.

Why change from film to digital?

• Less floor space needed
• Time and Money, for instance:

The X-ray Film 20 Process Steps

1. Purchase/store boxes of sheets of film
2. Purchase/store x-ray film cassette holders
3. Load film in cassettes in special dark room
4. Space allocation/construction/special lights for dark room
5. Handle and move cassettes to x-ray table
6. Insert in x-ray table
7. Take x-ray exposure
8. Use special machine to get patient data printed on the film
9. Remove cassette and bring to darkroom
10. Remove film from cassette and run through a processor machine
11. Must keep processor filled with toxic developing chemicals and keep at proper temperature at all times
12. Films sometimes jam in processor and get ruined
13. After x-ray dries, comes out of processor
14. Look at film
15. Cannot alter film once it is made, can only shine a high intensity light on it if it comes out too dark, cannot do anything if it comes out too light
16. Need to place film in an x-ray jacket, put name and number of patient on jacket
17. Need to transport films somewhere to be read by radiologist i.e.: mail, UPS etc.
18. Need report sent to you and films must come back to you
19. Need to store films in some allocated space for a file room (films are large and heavy)
20. Need someone to manage this file room

Four Steps to Digital Processing

1. Enter patient data into computer
2. Position patient and press x-ray exposure
3. Image immediately available for viewing by tech - if acceptable, the push of a button sends it to archive for storage and transmittal to the radiologist’s workstation
4. After review radiologist sends electronic report back electronically to acquisition site and archive

• Workstation Tools that Improve Diagnosis and Efficiency

1. Alter window/level settings to optimize image review
2. Magnify parts of interest to evaluate in more detail
3. Invert black/white display for a different view of image
4. Electronic reporting system

• Repeat X-ray Rate Decreased with Digital

1. Built-in, simple, patient optimized exposure system
2. Digital image can be manipulated for diagnosis on radiologist workstation (with film very limited options –if exposure unacceptable, must repeat study)
3. Since image is archived to computer, never physically lose the film
4. Patient safety -repeat x-rays cause unnecessary radiation exposure and also increase costs

• Other Improvements with Digital

1. Environmental safety – no toxic chemicals used
2. Film space requirements eliminated
3. Additional clerical requirements eliminated
4. Time savings, efficiency of all staff
5. Patient throughput is much faster
6. Speedier diagnosis

• TB –Problems in Diagnosis

1. In primary TB, 90% of patients are asymptomatic
2. In post-primary TB, may also be asymptomatic
3. PPD positive skin test means prior infection, not necessarily active clinical disease
4. Other “types” of mycobacteria cross-react , giving false positive results
5. PPD is negative in 20% of infected elderly or debilitated patients and 2% of infected healthy patients
6. BCG vaccinated individuals will have a positive PPD

How do we get more information if we want to invest/ purchase?

• Click here to open our contact form

A radiology interpretation is only as good as the Radiologist

• The value of utilization of the teachers (click here for UMMC’s credentials)

What are your typical hours of service?

• 24 x 7 x 365 - that is to say “We never close.”

HIPPA compliant business

• Patient information transits a secure network to radiologists who are engaged in patient diagnosis, treatment and interaction on a daily basis within a major medical center.
• This patient routine sensitizes the entire organization on a daily basis regarding patient privacy.

Can we talk to a radiologist?

• Direct communication links are established in advance for each caregivers requirements, including STAT communication.