Profile: Mark Halsted Uses the Power of Computers to Improve Care
Meet the Researcher
Dr. Mark Halsted enjoys a weekend hike with wife Barbara and kids Ben and Chloe.
Central to all that Mark Halsted, MD, does is the belief that computer technology, if applied correctly, can help humans function better and improve patient care. That's why today, despite years of training as a pediatric radiologist and neuroradiologist, he devotes much of his energy to creating technology and systems that lead to faster and more accurate diagnoses by radiologists.
Even in medical school and his residency, Dr. Halsted recognized the power of computers. He developed his own electronic database to capture the complex web of relationships between "bugs and drugs" -- pathologies and therapeutics. Unable to afford an off-the-shelf computer, he built his own to help him study for his board exams.
Today, as chief of the Radiology Informatics Research Core in the Cincinnati Children's Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging, Dr. Halsted has considerably more technology at his fingertips. He credits former department director Janet Strife, MD, with helping him recognize his passion and skill for applying informatics to health care, and current director Lane Donnelly, MD, for ongoing research support. "I saw in myself how advanced technology could help me learn more effectively. I knew the potential was there for technology to improve diagnoses and workflow," Dr. Halsted says.
Overcoming Inefficiencies
When Cincinnati Children's was moving to the filmless imaging system known as PACS (Picture Archiving and Communications System), Dr. Halsted was consultant and codeveloper of an international digital teaching file known as MyPACS. It is now used by thousands of radiologists in 1,500 institutions in 75 countries. He also developed interactive, web-based software that helps radiology residents and fellows reduce diagnostic errors.
His experience in the medical center's very busy Department of Radiology and Medical Imaging revealed another problem to be solved. "By far, this is the most service-oriented department I've been affiliated with. However, the sheer volume of studies, the interruptions to radiologists when they were reading, and the processes for reporting findings led to a lot of inefficiencies," he explains. Dr. Halsted and his team partnered with the University of Cincinnati College of Business to apply industrial processes to make the department's workflow as efficient as possible.
The result of their effort was the innovative radiology workflow tool called RadStream, introduced at Cincinnati Children's in July 2005. It has saved the workload of two fulltime radiologists, generated $800,000 in savings per year in personnel time, and minimized interruptions to radiologists by a third.
Faster Findings
Dr. Halsted and his kids Ben and Chloe.
RadStream offers valuable benefits to pediatricians and their patients. "If your patient is the sickest one being evaluated, RadStream ensures that their images will be read as quickly as possible, enhancing safety and patient satisfaction," Dr. Halsted says. "When pediatricians call in, anyone can inform them of the current status of their patient's study, who's working on the study, whether it's been dictated and if the physician has been notified.
"Communications are much more efficient for calling out stat and incidental findings we want to get out quickly. And pediatricians are called more frequently with a final report and the option to have it faxed to them," he explains.
Licensed to AMICAS, Inc. earlier this year, RadStream is scheduled to be available to pediatric and adult hospitals and freestanding imaging centers in 2007. "Eventually, we knew we would collaborate with a vendor to license the product we developed. Widespread distribution will maximize the impact we make on health care," Dr. Halsted says.
Of his achievements so far, Dr. Halsted says his proudest accomplishment is "the opportunity to work in an outstanding institution with outstanding colleagues, and balance that with a fulfilling personal life." With his wife, Barbara Ramlo-Halsted, MD, and children Chloe and Ben, he spends many weekends on the family's rural property north of Cincinnati. "It's a total change of pace. It's important to have a place to go that forces us to slow down and get away from technology."
Dr. Halsted is associate professor of radiology and chief of research for the Radiology Informatics Research Core.
