If Disney ran your pediatric radiology department: a different approach to improving the patient and family experience.

The concepts behind the patient experience and patient- and family-centered care have their roots in the 1980s. Prioritization and implementation of programs to improve the patient experience have received increased attention since the passage of legislation tying health insurance reimbursement to patient satisfaction surveys. Radiology has joined these efforts with the Radiology 3.0 initiative, and departments are applying established patient- and family-centered care models and quality-improvement methods to improve patient experience and satisfaction. While these approaches are valuable, they should be supplemented with more qualitative, humanistic and empathetic approaches. We present a "Disney model" for improving the patient and family experience in pediatric radiology and examples of practical implementation.

Time-Out: It's Radiology's Turn--Incidence of Wrong-Patient or Wrong-Study Errors.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the utility of a two-person verification system (Rad Check) in successfully decreasing wrong-patient or wrong-study errors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this retrospective study performed at a tertiary-care pediatric hospital, monthly radiology incident reports from January 2009 through December 2014 were reviewed for documentation of wrong-patient or wrong-study events. The date, imaging modality, nature of the event, and number of imaging studies for this time period by year were recorded and analyzed. These data were tracked before and after implementation of the two-person verification system in July 2012. RESULTS: Over 72 months, 45 reported wrong-patient or wrong-study events were confirmed. The data were analyzed before and after implementation of a two-person verification system implemented in July 2012, midway through the study period. Over the first 42 months, 36 wrong-patient or wrong-study occurrences were identified, corresponding to an average of one error every 35 days, with the number of days between events ranging from 3 to 150. After implementation of the verification process, nine events were documented over 30 months, corresponding to an average of one error every 101 days, with the maximum number of days between events exceeding 410. CONCLUSION: Wrong-patient or wrong-study events can be significantly reduced by utilizing a brief two-person verification approach. More robust documentation of these events is warranted so that individual institutions can assess the incidence of these events within their own department and develop tailored plans to prevent these errors.

Building an exceptional imaging management team: from theory to practice.

Building a strong, cohesive, and talented managerial team is a critical endeavor for imaging administrators, as the job will be enhanced if supported by a group of high-performing, well-developed managers. For the purposes of this article, leadership and management are discussed as two separate, yet equally important, components of an imaging administrator's role. The difference between the two is defined as: leadership relates to people, management relates to process. There are abundant leadership and management theories that can help imaging administrators develop managers and ultimately build a better team. Administrators who apply these theories in practical and meaningful ways will improve their teams' leadership and management aptitude. Imaging administrators will find it rewarding to coach and develop managers and witness transformations that result from improved leadership and management abilities.

Radiology Architecture Project Primer.

The rapid pace of technologic advancement and increasing expectations for patient- and family-friendly environments make it common for radiology leaders to be involved in imaging remodel and construction projects. Most radiologists and business directors lack formal training in architectural and construction processes but are expected to play significant and often leading roles in all phases of an imaging construction project. Avoidable mistakes can result in significant increased costs and scheduling delays; knowledgeable participation and communication can result in a final product that enhances staff workflow and morale and improves patient care and experience. This article presents practical guidelines for preparing for and leading a new imaging architectural and construction project. We share principles derived from the radiology and nonradiology literature and our own experience over the past decade completely remodeling a large pediatric radiology department and building a full-service outpatient imaging center.

Radiology Design Project Primer.

The design of hospital environments is receiving increased attention as an important contributor to patient satisfaction and experience, which have a direct impact on reimbursement. Well-designed health care environments can decrease stress, improve concentration, and contribute to improved patient outcomes and enhanced staff morale. Most radiologists and business directors lack formal training in design and may feel they have little to contribute to design planning, yet creating an optimal environment for patients requires a strong understanding of local demographics and both patient and staff needs, which is a core responsibility of radiology leadership. This article presents practical guidelines for selecting a design partner for an imaging construction project, developing a design theme and design sensibilities, and engaging a multidisciplinary radiology team in working with a designer; the goal is to enable radiology leadership to collaborate with designers to cocreate health care environments that aspire to be integral components of patient-centered care and experience.