Customer Success

Integrated access to external imaging improvespatient care and supports referral expansionMethodist LeBonheur Healthcare is an eight-hospital system operating in and around Memphis, Tenn. It is recognized nationally for a variety of specialty services, and treats more than 340,000 outpatients each year. Its pediatric facility, LeBonheur Children’s, is staffed by 750 physicians across 40 subspecialties, and is the only certified Level I pediatric trauma center in the region. It cares for more than 95,000 children annually. The MLH system uses Cerner’s acute care EMR and McKesson PACS.

“Before the patient has moved from the ambulance to the OR, the physician can pull up the images. The value of that from the standpoint

of eliminating any delays in care or decision-makingis tremendous in a time-sensitive situation.”

– Crile Crisler, Administrative Director of Emergency Services

Lack of image transfer capabilities was impacting clinical efficiency and growth potential.

Specialists had no central, reliable workflow for accessing outside exams

Inability to view studies from referral centers hindered pediatric critical care

THE CHALLENGE

THE SOLUTION

Methodist LeBonheur Healthcare adopted the lifeIMAGE platform to connect specialists to exams performed outside the MLH network.

Outside facilities, referring physicians and patients can now electronically transfer studies to MLH

MLH physicians can view outside exams from the patient record in Cerner PowerChart

Images that arrive on CD are instantly uploaded, viewed and shared among MLH medical staff

POWERCHART

“lifeIMAGE is smooth, easy, everyone learns one process, and it works.lifeIMAGE and Cerner in our ED have all but become one in the same, and

we’re really excited about the longer term roadmap.”– Crile Crisler, Administrative Director of Emergency Services

THE RESULTS

30-40minutes

Time SavedEstimated time saved for ED physicians to access outside patient images. Why the difference?

PREVIOUS PROCESSExams arrived on a disc with the

patient or the patient was re-imaged

CD was walked to radiology and placed in pile

Rad tech uploaded the CD ata set workstation

Once ready, radiology notifiedthe ED physician

Physician accessed the images in the PACS

CURRENT LIFEIMAGE PROCESSDepartment receives the

exam electronically or receivesthe disc “at the front door”

Uploads the images to lifeIMAGE

Physician accesses the imagesinstantly within lifeIMAGE or

places an order and viewsthe study via Cerner.

Viewing outside images from within the Cerner

MPage increased physician satisfaction.

Re-imaged fewer patients Whether due to unreadable discs or not having the CD at all, uploading exams locally to lifeIMAGE or receiving them electronically prevented re-radiating patients.

Life-Saving Results

When a patient needed an emergency neurological procedure to relieve brain pressure, the referring hospital sent the exam electronically, the neurosurgeon reviewed the exam in advance, met the patient on the helipad, and walked him directly to the OR for surgery.

Becoming a Referral Magnet

LeBonheur Children’s had 70,000 ER visits per year prior to lifeIMAGE and had 90,000 in 2014. It became easier to attract new referral partners because image transfer capabilities streamlined the care path for shared patients.