Clinical Imaging Manager at Pediatrix

Amy Warengo

1. According to the latest reports by the World Health Organization, medical imaging developed rapidly to play a central role in medicine today by supporting disease diagnosis and treatment. As the Clinical Imaging Manager of Pediatrix Medical Group, what are the major trends that can play a key role in elevating the standards of medical imaging?

In my view, two key trends are impacting the future of medical imaging. First, is the advancement of AI technologies. These AI technologies can enhance a provider’s ability to detect abnormalities in human tissues sooner, resulting in earlier intervention and improved patient outcomes. Second, is the trend of DICOM-capable imaging modalities. For years, X-ray, MRI, CT, and ultrasound have had the ability to DICOM send images to PACS systems, which enabled these images to be shared with specialists, hospitals, and other health care providers. Unfortunately, other imaging modalities did not always have this ability. However, times are changing and many of these modalities are now starting to follow suit. For example, we are using a retinal camera for eye exams on premature infants. The handheld retinal camera has recently gained DICOM sending capabilities, which allows these images to be accessed by a specialist offsite in real time, thereby improving the outcomes of this population.

2. Medical imaging plays a critical role in the early detection, clinical monitoring, and outcomes assessment of disease. How can integrated radiology solutions add value to the evolving medical imaging landscape?

Integrated medical imaging platforms have evolved over the past decade into an all-inclusive platform. An integrated medical imaging platform can eliminate paper records, improve the sharing of patient imaging between healthcare specialists, improve imaging reliability and quality, replace manual data entry with automated processes, plus provide a large patient pool for research and patient outcome audits.

3. What according to you are some of the new innovations in medical imaging that can help bring world-class clinical expertise in diagnostic imaging?

While AI innovations will drastically change the field of medical imaging, I see digital mobile imaging, vendor-neutral archives, image-sharing platforms, and telehealth as critical for bringing world-class clinical expertise to underserved populations. Medical imaging devices have become smaller and more mobile, vendor-neutral archives, image-sharing platforms, and telehealth platforms are gaining wider utilization, thus the ability to bring innovative diagnostic services to rural and underserved communities is increasing. These innovations allow remote healthcare experts to access and interpret the images in real-time, provide a plan of care, and improve patient outcomes. Studies have shown repeatedly, providing healthcare in an environment close to the patient’s home and support structure, improves patient compliance with the plan of care and patient outcomes.

“Begin building relationships with these specialists, bring them into the initial discussions, make sure they are an important stakeholder and have a seat at the table. It truly takes a team approach to succeed.”

4. Before your stint at Pediatrix Medical Group, what are some of your experiences that empowered you to improve the quality of medical imaging and provide advanced medical solutions and patient-first care?

Being a Registered Nurse and working one-on-one with healthcare providers has enabled me to understand their needs and frustrations related to diagnostic medical imaging. This includes the need for quality assurance programs and standardization of image procurement and documentation. In addition, educating patients as a Registered Nurse has provided me insight into the concerns, fears, and expectations of the patients we touch. This knowledge has enhanced my ability to work with our practices, providers, network team, security team, platform team, organizational leaders, and vendors to develop medical imaging platforms within our organization that adapt to innovative technology, provide high-quality medical imaging, and meet the expectations of our providers and patients.

5. As an ending note, what is your advice for other senior leaders and CXOs working in the medical imaging sector?

My advice to senior leaders and CXOs is to be ready and willing to accept change. The field of medical imaging is rapidly advancing. These changes require us to think differently about our network, database, security, operational workflows, and platforms. Often, your providers will bring to you requests for new medical imaging technology. Ask yourself, “can this improve efficiencies, imaging quality, patient and provider satisfaction, and potentially financial performance?” Be prepared to explore the feasibility of implementing the new software into your existing medical imaging platform. This will require a collaborative team approach with your network, database, security, and platform specialist. Begin building relationships with these specialists, bring them into the initial discussions, make sure they are an important stakeholder and have a seat at the table. It truly takes a team approach to succeed.