Many of the most vexing problems in radiology are caused by across-the-board personnel shortages. Whether considering radiologists and radiology technologists, decision-makers who purchase capital equipment or service technicians provided by OEMs or independents, the requirements for productivity and increased efficiency can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, some solutions are only a mouse-click away with the expansion of electronic, often Internet-based initiatives into the radiology equation.

E-commerce in radiology is driven by a number of factors on both the clinical side to improve patient and on the vendor side to improve processes for sales and service.

Besides the critical issue of staffing shortages, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) requirements for security, patient privacy and disaster recovery of patient data is a concern for all healthcare institutions. HIPAA also assumes added significance for smaller sites such as freestanding imaging centers and private physician offices without large IT (information technology) departments.

Improved technologic capabilities make many e-commerce applications possible due to increasingly powerful computer systems.

Given the clinical issues for radiology departments and imaging centers and OEM goals for sales and service, e-commerce offers solutions to both partners.

Capital equipment sales and service
Visit any major imaging manufacturer’s website to find information about their latest releases of capital equipment and services. Although there are commonalities, several vendors are beginning to explore additional e-commerce opportunities.

Glenn E. Phillips, e.business development manager for Siemens Medical Solutions (Iselin, N.J.), describes new initiatives designed to enhance the purchase experience for customers and streamline the process for both trading partners.

On their current website, siemensmedical.com, a customer with either a new or legacy modality system can search for available upgrades and options. Especially with some of the older systems, it can be challenging to determine the exact upgrade necessary to improve performance. In addition, customers can download a data sheet, or a user manual depending on the particular modality.

Please refer to the December 2002 issue for the complete story. For information on article reprints, contact Martin St. Denis