CVIS Vendor Selection & Installation Prep: Q & A

Keep these questions in mind when considering a vendor for your PACS installation or replacement.

Interface Issues
Demographics. Waveforms. Images. Orders. Measurements. Reports. External clinical documentation. What do these all have in common?

Each is a component of the longitudinal cardiovascular patient medical record. Multi-elemental analysis may be useful in evaluating a patient's onset or progression of cardiovascular disease. A complete solution that integrates hemo, echo, cath, and medical imaging simplifies physician workflow and maximizes procedure throughput.

By interfacing with the hospital information system (HIS), for demographics, orders and result distribution and accreditations, such as ACC-NCDR, STS, or ICAEL, hospitals further streamline clinical workflow, both inside and outside the cardiology department.

1. How can I get a patient-centric view of information?

McKesson's cardiovascular information system incorporates images and information from throughout your organization into a patient-centric view, so you will have all the relevant patient information you need to make your decision.

2. Can I get patient information and images anytime, anywhere?

McKesson's CVIS allows physicians inside and outside the organization to access critical patient information anytime, anywhere.

3. Can I access the patient's complete medical record?

McKesson supports anytime/anywhere access to complete patient information, resulting in better, faster decisions about patient care.

4. Is this solution scalable to meet tomorrow's demands?

Yes! You can add modalities, users and links to other IT systems as your needs grow.

5. Does the system support data analysis and help reduce risk?

McKesson's CVIS is fully integrated with your organization's other clinical systems and electronic health records, allowing physicians instant access to the right information, at the right time.

6. Will this solution improve the efficiency of my department?

McKesson solutions increase department efficiency - reducing administrative burdens and tasks thereby allowing you to manage a greater volume of procedures and exams.

7. Is the system reliable, including disaster recovery functionality?

McKesson offers the best possible up-time, with behind-the-scenes remote monitoring and seamless support to ensure ongoing performance.

8. Will this solution improve the financial performance of my department?

The McKesson Charge Manager module significantly decreases the time and effort currently invested in the charge process by leveraging the structured data to capture professional and technical charges, while at the same time improving accuracy and speed of reimbursement.

9. Does this solution conform to the American College of Cardiology National Cardiovascular Data Registry^TM (NCDR) standards?

The use of ACC and ASE standards in McKesson's cardiovascular solution helps automate submission to the ACC registries, ICAEL, ICAVL and ICANL. The solution's support for DICOM-ECG waveform assists in the future interchange of this critical data.

10. Can I count on the system vendor to meet my expectations?

McKesson is a partner for life - committed to meeting and exceeding your expectations. From our executives to our internationally certified service and support employees, we measure our success by your success.

McKesson has more than 30 years of experience devoted to healthcare information technology. In fact, no company understands better than McKesson how to connect disparate departments and care disciplines, preserving and enhancing their unique workflow while linking them to the rest of the enterprise.

Ensure that your CVIS implementation is as smooth and trouble-free as possible, with the fewest disruptions to your facility's day-to-day operation. These preparations will help make it possible:

• Plan the time frame that's right for your facility
• Designate a team leader - someone who'll take charge and be the primary contact between you and your CVIS vendor
• Designate a physician champion - someone who'll serve as the liaison between the physician community and the CVIS implementation team, and who embraces the technological changes being provided
• Outline a collective understanding of your IT requirements
• Work with your vendor to determine a game plan
• Discuss how this implementation will change your workflow and make updates
• Bring together the right team, and make sure all responsibilities are clear
• Examine entire cardiology department requirements, considering ER, OR and nursing units, as well as Radiology

McKesson has years of experience working with healthcare enterprises to make their installations successful. Contact us to learn more about how we can work together to implement CVIS at your facility.

Financing Considerations

Prepare for some of the questions you'll have to consider when it's time to begin planning for your PACS implementation. Contact us to begin answering these important questions.

1. Is this project approved in your current budget year?
   1. Would it be valuable to defer payments until future budget years?
   2. When does the budget (fiscal) year end?
2. Are there other projects competing for same limited dollars?
   1. Are you also considering other projects/upgrades (Echo, Hemo, Cath, other SW or technology) in the next 12-18 months?
3. Outline the other projects, including timing and estimated cost.
4. How have you funded other solutions like this in the past: cash, rent/lease, loan or other?
   1. What other funding options were considered (if any)?
   2. Why did you choose your current option?
   3. Are there any new funding options you are considering: pay-per-image?
5. Understanding why and how to replace the existing system now.
   1. How long has current the system been in place?
   2. What was the estimated cost of that system?
   3. How did you fund the system: cash, rent/lease, loan or other?
   4. Are there operating dollars allocated annually that could be redirected from the current solution to the new?