Continuum Systems’ cloud based radiology bringing game-changing solutions to mines
ontinuum Systems’ cloud based radiology imaging (PACS) & Workflow Management Systems (RIS) powered by Infinitt Healthcare bring game-changing solutions to the mining industry.
Continuum Systems’ cloud based radiology bringing game-changing solutions to mines.
About mining health and safety
With the mining industry in South Africa employing close to 500 000 people(1) and an estimated staggering 9% of all new reported cases of TB worldwide attributed to SA mining, it is a clear fact that healthcare services are paramount in this sector. This is not only for humanitarian reasons, but also to be aligned with World Health Organization (WHO) practices(2)(4) and The Mine Health and Safety Act, 1996 (Act No. 29 of 1996)(3) Through the ‘Masoyise iTB’ initiative announced by the Chamber of Mines in March 2016, companies involved promised to play their part in a campaign aimed at ensuring that every mine employee is screened and tested for TB each year from 2016 to 2018. (4). What does the mining industry need to better manage their employees’ screening and healthcare services?Continuum Systems Continuum Systems’ cloud based radiology bringing game-changing solutions to mines
Minimising employee time away from the working environment is critical to a successful health and screening plan. Continuum Systems can drastically reduce the procedure time. This is achieved through its integrated cloud RIS service. The patient registration process is streamlined through the system’s ability to pull demographics from the employers’ records as well as smart scheduling technology.
Limitless redundant storage capacity for all records is fundamental to a successful solution. By migrating older records and transmitting current studies into the cloud environment for storage, easy lookup and comparison across all sites is enabled, giving peace of mind that all records are secure, available and easily referenced for future requirements.
Flexible reading options are vital to the modern reporting environment. Having a single central system that is always available, is key to enabling efficient reading services for the best image interpretation – either
performed in house or outsourced to a 3rd party reading service. Continuum Systems’ SMARTRAD cloud solution is housed in a locally based world class data centre that is monitored 24/7/365. This enables the highest availability to its clients and the capability of being accessed
from anywhere and anytime over an encrypted connection.
Needing to share the workload effortlessly across multiple sites or reading facilities, via a centralised worklist for reporting is essential. Controlling the distribution of work to the reading doctors, is equally important. Continuum Systems’ SMARTRAD proven voice recognition software with user created templates built into the solution, allows for faster reporting times and a higher accuracy of report content resulting in timely feedback on the patient’s prognosis.
Easily locate employee medical results for follow up treatment or legal representation. Continuum systems’ online portal gives direct access to authorised users with simple tools to distribute results to relevant parties over an encrypted secure connection.
Conforming to local legal and compliance standards for patient confidentiality and data protection is at the forefront of the Continuum Systems solution with the latest in firewall and redundancy technology protection.
Keeping the cost of ownership down is important to ensuring affordability, whilst maintaining high levels of service and client satisfaction. By utilising a “Pay as you grow” solution, initial high capital outlay costs are drastically minimised and running costs are predictable and scalable as you grow the service.
A quick and easy signup and service activation process is vital to the seamless transition from legacy systems to cloud based technology. With expert knowledge and tele-radiology experience in the Radiology industry, Continuum Systems can connect to your equipment and existing archives, in order to receive employer demographics and transmit images directly into the safety of the cloud storage facility. Accompanying documentation can also be scanned in as part of the study with the latest camera scanning technology to give the reading doctor additional information and history if required.
Staying updated in a dynamic world of emerging technologies is crucial to managing return on investment. Continuum Systems’ SMARTRAD runs advanced platforms to enable regular upgrades as well as the highest level of security in firewall and antivirus protection.
The mining industry in South Africa has unique requirements and along with this the demand for tailor-made solutions suitable to this niche market. Continuum Systems has entirely customised its product offering to the South African environment, making developments and improvements to enhance workflow and efficiencies, which are key to the needs of the mining industry. Supporting international integration technologies like HL7, IHE and DICOM are standard in the solution, while custom integrations like XML, Web services and ODBC are equally supported to integrate into local service suppliers.
Knowing the service usage and employee visit statistics allows the enterprise to better manage the services rendered and related costs. Continuum Systems offers a leading business intelligence interface to enable the reporting of live usage statistics from the online portal. In addition, the customised report layouts allow easy visualisation of data or the ability to export data to excel for analysis. Key reports are automatically emailed to authorised users at scheduled intervals to keep management updated on achievement against key performance objectives.
If billing for services rendered or managing 3rd party reporting services costs is required, Continuum Systems has a full radiology specific financial module that allows integration to medical schemes and OD
companies, providing real-time claims with collection management tools to improve cash collection rates. In line with the Mine Health and Safety Inspectorate, Continuum Systems’ SMARTRAD powered by INFINITT Healthcare strives towards a safe and healthy mining industry. This is aided through the provision of expert solutions in the medical IT division and the application of Cloud Based Radiology Imaging (PACS) & Workflow Management Systems (RIS).