Blog Why Doctors Love Direct Lab and Radiology Results in Plato

Improved workflow for doctors and clinic staff, faster turnaround time for patients.

Gone are the days where clinics have to manually scan their patients’ lab and radiology results into the computer. Getting these directly inside your clinic management software not only saves time for doctors and clinic staff, but also puts patients at ease due to faster turnaround times on their medical results.

When it comes to the business of medical practices, clinics should never underestimate the cost-saving power of improved internal processes. Plato is the integrated clinic management platform that helps practices achieve this through numerous workplace automations, including direct lab and radiology results. Plato is integrated with major lab and radiology providers across Singapore, including OHM, Innovative Diagnostics, Lifescan Imaging, ParkwayHealth Laboratories and Quest Laboratories.

Why doctors and patients love Plato’s direct lab and radiology results

Time is a valuable resource—even more so for doctors, who can’t afford wasting minutes, much less hours, on administrative tasks and time-consuming workflows. Plato’s interface allows doctors to review and forward lab and radiology reports to patients, all from one place. Imagine being able to read the radiologist’s report, open the patient’s scan, type in your instructions, and send these data to your patient, all from one page in Plato.

Orthopaedic surgeon Dr Ramesh Subramaniam appreciates this efficiency brought about by Plato’s integration with radiology centres such as OHM. “If my patient does a MRI scan in the morning, the radiology report is ready by the afternoon, sometimes even by lunchtime. What I love is that the radiology reports are very clear, and the process is very prompt and efficient. I can then forward the radiology report via e-mail to my patient with my instructions on whether the result needs urgent attention, or if it can wait until the next appointment. Patients appreciate this fast response because they are often anxious about their scan results, and it allows us to act on their condition whilst awaiting their next review.”

This quick turnaround time can go a long way in easing patients’ concerns. In a study conducted by Dr Matthew Davenport of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, half of the 202 patients surveyed shared that they were affected emotionally while awaiting their radiology results, including minimal, mild, average, severe or extreme anxiety, reports Reuters.

Having the radiologist’s report delivered together with the patient’s scan in Plato also lets doctors analyse findings thoroughly and reduces the chances of overlooking details in patients’ results. “Sometimes I may need to discuss certain findings with the radiologist about a scan,” explains Dr Ramesh. “For example, I might ask the radiologist, ‘I see a finding which is subtle, do you agree?’ There is a lot of communication because I know the radiologists personally, so they’re always open to discussing the findings.”

Additionally, direct results can assist practitioners like Dr Ramesh for surgeries. “When the patient forgets to bring their scans for surgery, or if I need to access something in the patient’s MRI records before the surgery, I can easily access it via Plato.”

Saving hours of admin work for clinic staff

Aside from benefitting doctors and patients, Plato’s direct lab and radiology results save clinic staff from unnecessary administrative work.

For example, if a clinic sees 30 patients a day and if each scan takes roughly 10 minutes to process and save, 5 hours per day is spent solely on data entry, which also happens to be the most hated computer task in the world, according to a global study commissioned by Automation Anywhere. Respondents shared that such tasks were not only monotonous, but also a poor use of their skills that impacted overall productivity. Imagine having your nurses spend nearly half their day scanning reports, when they could be focusing on their main job scope and enjoying greater workplace satisfaction from more challenging tasks.

Getting direct lab and radiology results in your Plato is easy

While the time taken for this integration varies according to lab or radiology partner, the process is generally straightforward and can usually be completed within one week.

If you would like to link your lab with Plato, email us at support@platomedical.com. Plato is building linkages in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Malaysia. Feel free to chat with us if you’re keen to learn about Plato’s other clinic automations that can make your day easier, we’d love to give you a tour of our platform.

– Wong Yoon Sann