It has been said that quality is the next disruptive technology in radiology. Actually, it is the triad of quality, safety and informatics that has already begun to transform our specialty. At RSNA 2007, radiologists from around the world—academicians and private practitioners—shared how interactions among radiology staff, physicians, patients and payers are improving, facilitated by robust informatics systems.

David M. Hovsepian, M.D.

Old workflow and process paradigms become obsolete when new technologies and functionalities are introduced, outdating us as quickly as Alexander Graham Bell would be if handed an iPhone™. The positive side of this upheaval is the tremendous opportunity to add greater value to the services we deliver, foremost to ensure safe, high-quality patient care, but also to keep radiology from becoming a commodity outsourced to competing fields and distant countries.

The radiology departments that are leading the way are filmless, paperless and committed to the notion that quality and safety make good business sense. They have earmarked significant resources for radiology informatics to improve order entry, recordkeeping and online access to information; facilitate gathering and collating myriad data points and analyze and respond to emerging patterns and trends. These farsighted departments are better able to face the burdensome regulatory environment and will be more adaptable to future challenges.

Research activities, from the abstract and computational to the translation of theory into clinical practice, are enriched by informatics. An informatics infrastructure also bolsters a robust quality and safety program, which in turn can provide material for vitally needed clinical research in this area.

Imaging holds the keys to diagnosis of disease, which puts radiology squarely in the spotlight of translational research for years to come. I am among those who predict the future of medicine will be personalized and molecular, with radiologists leading the advance. The healthiest radiology departments will be those that recognize the powerful link between quality, safety and informatics.

David M. Hovsepian, M.D., is a professor of radiology and chief quality and safety officer for the Department of Radiology at Stanford University in California. Dr. Hovsepian serves as deputy editor of RSNA News and vice-chair of the RSNA News Editorial Board. Among the many other RSNA committees on which Dr. Hovsepian serves is the Continuous Quality Improvement Initiative (CQI²).