OSF St. Francis Invests In new medical technology

Escanaba's OSF St. Francis Hospital is improving its medical imaging abilities with a few new additions to the hospital.

In the cardiac diagnostic department, OSF St. Francis has added a Picture Archiving and Communications System, which replaces the storage and transfer of physical imaging films with an electronic system and web-based communications.

Greg Stupak is the manager of medical imaging and cardiac diagnostic services, and says in the past, images have been placed on film, and filed on shelves in the department. The PAC system, which is fairly new to the field, stores the films on a computer, and allows staff to transfer them to other physicians or locations electronically.

"A primary advantage is that it provides easy access to images and reports on a single system and from one log-in," says Stupak. "Information is updated automatically as new data or images are saved, offering an easily accessible and more real-time look at a patient's condition."

It'll also cut down on costs for the hospital, as images formerly had to be physically given to the patient or mailed, whereas now they can be sent electronically.

The new system also should improve the flow of patient care, especially for patients moving from one physician or department to another, since the images are available from any location.

It's all part of a health system-wide upgrade to electronic medical records, which is planned to be in effect in the fall of 2011.

Another medical imaging addition to OSF St. Francis is an improved CT scanner, which uses a 64-slice image, a considerable upgrade from the previous 16-slice imaging equipment. The new CT scanner offers more detailed images, faster scanning, and less radiation.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Greg Stupak, OSF St. Francis Hospital