Cath labs are short for catheterization labs. A catheterization lab is a medical facility where ailments concerning the heart are diagnosed through the insertion of thin tubing, called a catheter, into a large artery. The catheter is a conduit for various wirings that are connected to a digital imaging device. The device allows the examining physician to view the patient’s heart and the inside of his thorax without having to open him through surgery.
Cath labs perform a vital function, and this function is heavily dependent on medical imaging technology. To be able to do its work, a cath lab needs an effective picture archive communication system (PACS) that will help the facility capture, manage and distribute the medical images taken of the patient efficiently. But it is not just a PACS that a cath lab needs. It also needs a medical workflow software application that can optimize workflow in the facility, thereby increasing not just the smoothness of its operations but also improve its productivity.
Braintree provides these medical workflow software solutions that cath labs need. The particular solution that Braintree offers is none other than its flagship product, the BMW Platform.The Benefits of the BMW Platform
The BMW Platform is an outpatient software solution that combines interdepartmental functions of a cath lab. It is compliant with all the standards set by DICOM, HIPAA and HK7. The BMW Platform contains the following features that will be most helpful to a cath lab.
- Built-in PACS server. The built-in PACS server of the BMW Platform allows the easy capture and manipulation of images taken from the patient while he is being examined through the catheterization procedure. These images are stored electronically and appended to the patient’s electronic medical record or EMR that are automatically created by the system. More importantly, it can be easily shared among the physicians, interventionalists and other health care practitioners caring for the patient without having to create physical hard duplicates of the images.
- Workflow and administration. Aside from the integrated PACS, the BMW Platform can also handle other workflow and administrative tasks that require attention in the cath lab. These tasks include patient scheduling, admission and monitoring; monitoring supplies in the inventory; creation of clinical and billing reports; and practice analysis. The BMW Platform automates these tasks so that they will take less time, effort and resources on the part of the cath lab to get them done.
The BMW Platform enables a Cath Lab to better utilize their resources while supporting efficiency and productivity. With more resources available at its disposal, the cath lab can focus more on treating patients and improving the quality of its services.