Radiology technology company Hexarad has been able to reduce diagnostic waiting times for acute and emergency care patients at North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) with its unique radiology tech platform.
A joint pilot project between showed that the overall time saved from using Hexarad’s technology platform is equivalent to one extra clinician per shift in a ten-doctor department. To achieve this same outcome, a hospital would need to spend £365,000 per annum on locum agency fees.
A recent update, specifically the introduction of Hexarad’s new Edge integration software, has enabled further improvements to turnaround times in acute care. Using the Edge technology, North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust (NWAFT) is now able to receive imaging reports around 20 minutes faster than before, and the total time saving is up to 80 minutes per patient.
Time matters hugely when it comes to diagnosis, particularly in acute and emergency care, and delays are known to lead to poorer outcomes. For example, a person will lose two million nerve cells for every minute they don’t receive medical treatment during a stroke and for every 10-minute delay, a patient can lose eight weeks of healthy life. A CQC review of radiology services in England found that the time it takes for a scan to be reported in A&E ranges from an hour to as long as 48 hours.
Dr Jaymin Patel, Hexarad COO and Consultant Radiologist, said: “Hours, minutes and seconds matter hugely when it comes to diagnosis, particularly in urgent care, so we think it’s important to focus on areas that might otherwise be overlooked to find ways to get patients their diagnosis more quickly.”