When information assigned to a study at the modality does not match the order information from the RIS (for example, the patient ID does not match), the study cannot be verified and must be fixed.
 | CAUTION! In a multiple IMPAX cluster environment (multiple system), information for studies that are fixed in IMPAX (for example, demographics updated) are not propagated to other systems. Therefore, the other systems may show different patient demographics unless a system administrator manually deletes the study(ies) from all other locations and re-transfers. |
Workflow issues that create unverified studies
Information mismatch can occur when:
The site is using an old modality that does not provide the mandatory two pieces of information: Patient ID and accession number.
Someone entered the patient information incorrectly in the RIS.
In an emergency situation (for example, John/Jane Doe), a patient’s information was not entered into the RIS when the study was performed.
The RIS is down, so the study cannot be verified against information from the RIS.
Archived analog data is brought forward to digital and the newly digitized studies must be matched to old RIS orders.
Studies are imported to a site where the orders for those studies are not in the RIS. For example, a local clinic performs the study for patient with a broken leg, but his images are then sent to an orthopaedic surgeon at another facility for a referral.
Workflow solutions
Data entry errors
PACS Administrators should create a worklist into which all unverified studies will be placed automatically. This will catch the various typing errors that cause mismatched information from the RIS and the modality. The Administrators can check the worklist on a regular basis to verify any broken studies and quickly get them into the PACS so they can be dictated.
Older modalities
When dealing with older modalities that cannot enter the required demographic information, the person who fixes the studies is generally the technologist. Again, the PACS Administrator can set up a worklist to specifically include all the studies from that modality.
For example, if the ultrasounds always have a problem verifying, all ultrasounds can be placed in a single worklist. The technologist can cycle that worklist to view each study in the Image area. The technologist then uses the image to help ascertain who the patient is.