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The medical staff at Washington Health System—physicians, nurses, and technologists alike—take great pride in the care they deliver to their patients. The leadership team sought improvements and technological advancements that would evolve their care delivery and would help them to be even more forward-thinking.
Washington Health System (WHS) is based in Washington, PA, a short drive south from Pittsburgh. In addition to the main hospital, they have five outpatient satellite facilities with imaging and a smaller hospital 25 minutes south. When it came time to search for a new information system provider, a vendor search team was formed that included professionals from its RIS/PACS and radiology departments. Their goal was to find a vendor with the proven ability to create a true partnership – a supplier with a track record of stability who assured current and future functionality would be provided.
Fujifilm was that partner.
Members of their search committee got their first close-up look at Fujifilm’s Synapse® RIS during RSNA. One participant noted that not long after she and her colleagues left the booth, they knew they had found their RIS vendor. Still, as part of due diligence, they vetted all potential vendors before making their final decision.
WHS ultimately selected Fujifilm’s Synapse RIS, citing its exceptional technological capabilities and Fujifilm’s approach to partnering with its customers as clear differentiators. The Washington Health System team appreciated playing an integral role in Fujifilm’s Information Systems evolution; it instilled trust and confidence in Fujifilm as a company, and more importantly, as a vendor partner.
For the next four years, Fujifilm’s Synapse RIS helped immeasurably with their outpatient radiology scheduling, and technologist workflows, among other areas. The WHS team extended the functionality and workflows into the enterprise to assist with Cardiology, Case Management, Admitting/Patient Registration, Outpatient Surgery, and Medical Records. Workflows were streamlined, productivity boosted, and the care experience improved.
In early 2018, Fujifilm’s Synapse RIS team invited Linda Klimek, B.S. RT (R), a 30-year veteran at WHS currently acting as the facility’s Radiology Informatics Supervisor, to participate in the first Synapse RIS-focused Customer Advisory Group meeting. The first meeting was held with a small group of customers to gain specific workflow insights and feedback as the Fujifilm Synapse RIS team was planning development of a new platform, Version 7X. “Early customer insights and feedback on version 7X was vital for us to be successful with our pilot sites and beyond,” said Mike Heim, Product Manager for Synapse Enterprise Information Systems, Fujifilm.
By Fall of 2019, Fujifilm’s Synapse RIS team were preparing the final steps to launch Synapse Enterprise Information Systems (EIS) Version 7X; a technology uniquely designed to enhance workflow efficiencies, provide real-time admin dashboards, offer robust system audits, and more – all through a sleek design and intuitive user interface. Knowing the solution would meet all of Washington Health’s enterprise-wide needs, the site became one of the first health systems in the country to implement the platform as part of Fujifilm’s pilot program.
The transition brought new challenges and delays because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but working closely with Fujifilm, it was accomplished successfully in three phases: preparation, training, and launch.
To ensure success for the 300+ staff members adapting to the new platform, a variety of training methods were deployed. Fujifilm stayed on board throughout the entire pilot process with full remote support, providing experts on a rotating basis throughout each installation day, including after-hours. Shortly thereafter, it was reported that the medical staff, administrators, and IT personnel adapted to the new version with remarkable speed, and have enjoyed its many clinical, workflow, scheduling, and patient-facing benefits. The WHS team involved in the transition to Synapse EIS 7X was recognized by hospital leadership for the outstanding job they did in working with Fujifilm on a smooth rollout. The Washington Health System-Fujifilm connection is strong, and will only get stronger as our collaboration continues.
To learn more about Fujifilm’s Synapse EIS version 7X, contact us here.