Welcome to the 3rd #RADxx tweet chat recap! We thought it was impossible to keep up with the last tweet chat but this one saw even more momentum with new voices sharing their unique experiences in informatics throughout their careers. As seen in the storify recap, there were over 4.3 million impressions and over 816 tweets!

The tweet chat was hosted on October 5th by Dr. Geraldine McGinty, Chief Strategy & Contracting Officer, Weill Cornell Medicine Physician Organization, and Dr. Amy Kostenas, Neuroradiologist & Associate Professor at Mayo Clinic.

Dr. McGinty launched the discussion with question number 1.

Q1:#Imaging Informatics leaders (XY & XX!): how did you get to your current role and how many years in each stage? #RADxx

Many shared that their interest in informatics was spurred by a lack of interoperability across IT systems and user friendly experiences for both physicians and patients alike. Additionally, many radiologists are seeking to step “out of the dark-room” and have more direct contact with referring physicians and patients. Results from a survey we recently conducted showed that patients are very interested in receiving their radiology reports and images; having a radiologist explain the complex language used in reporting would be highly beneficial. During the tweet chat, a few even suggested using telehealth and conducting virtual sessions between patients, radiologists, and referring physicians to explain results in a convenient and concise manner.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Kostenas jumped in with question 2.

Q2: What training programs helped you the most in your #imagingIT career? #RADxx #HeforShe

Many realized the potential of new technologies like AI and machine learning to transform patient care by providing unified sources of data and analyzing actionable insights from them.

When it came to learning about the latest and great in #imagingIT, local programs, ACR, RSNA Informatics, and SIIM Tweets were all cited as collaborative resources. RADxx member Dr. Tessa Cook received quite a few shout-outs for her imaging informatics course as well.

Dr. McGinty jumped back in with question 3.

Q3: How has #Informatics helped at every stage of your career? #RADxx #NHITweek #HITworks

RADxx members noted that informatics has been critical at every stage since tech can offer creative solutions to solving problems.

The discussion went back to Dr. Kostenas for question 4

Q4: What kind of career options are open to those with expertise in #ImagingIT? #RADxx #NHITweek #HITworks

The limit was endless here with health IT leaders, innovation, entrepreneurship, and improved patient care all listed. However, one common thread was the mentorship needed to reach that level of expertise. In keeping with the theme of the #RADxx network, mentorship, particularly of those young in their training, is a necessity to inspire an interest in informatics and highlight its potential.

Dr. Kostenas then asked,

Q5: How will #ImagingIT change the future of #radiology? #RADxx

Dr. McGinty chimed in by saying,

MACRA and MIPS all require better metrics, benchmarking, and performance management. For radiology, data collection is key, such as recording the impacts of imaging on care, and the cost-effectiveness of imaging across different scenarios and conditions.

The tweet chat ended with the announcement of the inaugural RADxx awards! The inaugural RADxx awards will honor three outstanding individuals who have helped to lead the way, or are emerging fresh voices, in imaging informatics. These individuals could be physicians, or work in the field in other roles such as administration or IT. Are you, or someone you know, a Trailblazer, Advocate or Rising Star in the field of medical imaging informatics? If so, we want to hear from you! Nominate a worthy individual today.

We’ll announce the winners at RSNA 17 at the Cocktails for Change Event. RSVP today if you’re interested in attending!

As I sit down to write my first #RADxx community blog post, I’d like to introduce myself to you all and share my goals for this exciting new community of women radiologists and informaticists.

My interest in informatics began several years ago during my first American College of Radiology meeting as a first year radiology resident. Meeting enthusiastic and engaged radiologists from across the country, I was excited to hear how experts in our field were pouring over data in new and inventive ways with impressive and incredibly useful results. Their efforts to improve the storage, retrieval ,and reporting of imaging data pushed me to seek out opportunities at my home institution and even branch into exploring opportunities in artificial intelligence. I’ve since completed residency in diagnostic radiology and fellowship training in cardiothoracic imaging and nuclear medicine. Having just completed fellowship in June, I began my career as an attending in cardiovascular and thoracic imaging at UCLA just last month.

The American College of Radiology has remained an important part of my career and continues to inspire me to reach further in my clinical and research efforts. At this year’s annual ACR meeting, I was fortunate to join the ACR’s Commission on Informatics. I’m incredibly happy to assist in the College’s efforts to coordinate our IT and Informatics activities. This is a particularly exciting time in Informatics at the ACR with the launch of a brand new Data Science Institute, and I’m honored to be a part of the Informatics team.

During my training, I heard many an attending tell me that their education really began once they’d finished their residency and fellowship. Having just finished my first attending month, I believe this advice more than I ever did. While training provides the fundamentals needed to navigate an imaging career, in this quickly evolving field, learning truly is lifelong. As I continue to strengthen my own skill set in informatics and data science, I hope to share useful resources and tips with you all. Envisioning this being most successful as a collaborative process, I hope you all will chime in with resources you have found useful so that we can grow stronger as a group. Thanks for having me as a part of this RADxx community. I look forward to growing alongside you all.