Computer systems – Anatomic Pathology
IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc.
Survey results – last updated 17 May 2007
Contact
888-GO-IMPAC or salesinfo@impac.com
Background
PowerPath, IMPAC’s laboratory information management system for anatomic pathology, streamlines workflow and daily operations for laboratories offering surgical pathology, cytology, dermatopathology, and autopsy services. With more than 400 installations worldwide, PowerPath offers unmatched performance in managing anatomic pathology laboratories in hospitals, medical centers, reference labs, and academic facilities.
Surgical pathology – features
PowerPath is a comprehensive application that tracks a specimen from the time in enters the laboratory until the results are signed out and distributed. Highlights include:
v Ability to view all patient history from PowerPath and imported legacy system, with one mouse click
v User definable patient report templates including logos and imported images
v Predefined macros for patient resulting
v Multi-facility accession series and case types
v Ability for frozen section and preliminary diagnosis electronic signout
v Ability to default specimens with full histology orders and billing
v Advanced case searching capability
v Histology worklists to maintain/track histology processing
Cytopathology – features
PowerPath supports cytopathology through user-definable, Bethesda-compliant GYN result dictionaries. Point-and-click resulting eliminates the need for transcription, and user definable patient report templates include logos and imported images to maximize presentation. Other features include:
v Automatic QC Selection of normal GYN cases per user defined percentage
v Monitoring and tracking of upgrade and downgrade of diagnosis upon review
v Tracking reports for follow-up of abnormal and normal cases
v QA correlation module that automatically pulls 5-year retrospective reviews and cervical biopsies to PAP smears
v Option to result non-gyns using either pre-defined dictionary entries or transcription
Dermatopathology - features
The Dermatopathology Resulting Module expedites the resulting of dermatopathology surgical cases by streamlining report preparation and development. This module features an expanded Dermatopathology Dictionary that is critical for high quality reports and allows the diagnostician to enter up to three diagnosis codes for each specimen covered in the report.
Autopsy – features
PowerPath offers an electronic sign-out feature for both preliminary autopsy diagnosis (PAD) and final autopsy diagnosis (FAD), and features the ability to store the entire FAD headings and measurement sections as an autotext macro to reduce the amount of typing required. PowerPath also includes the option to default the specimen to decrease the accessioning time, and advanced case search options allow searching by specific text
Electronic signature
PowerPath includes five different signature formats to meet the pathologists’ preference. There are options to electronically sign-out Frozen Sections, Preliminary Diagnosis, and PADs as well as Final Diagnosis, Addendums, and Amendments. Signatures can be "floating" under text or anchored at the bottom of the page. PowerPath also displays Cytotechnologist signatures for an extra level of accountability.
Image capture
With PowerPath, images can effortlessly be captured, incorporated into the case, stored, and marked for inclusion in the final report for tumor conferences, internal meetings, publications, or as a teaching tool. The Image Management Module gives laboratories the ability to capture, store, and manage gross and microscopic images. Supported file formats include BMP, JPEG, TIFF, PCX, and PNG.
Patient lookups
PowerPath supports advanced case search ability using any of the following criteria:
v Patient demographics
v Case Flags and Case Notes
v Diagnostician
v Referring MD
v Diagnosis text
v Specimen and histology orders
v SNOMED or ICD9 codes
v Images
v Outside consult number
Internet reporting
The Internet Reporting Module provides secure and convenient access to patient results from any location where an Internet connection can be established—from a home office to the hospital and other satellite clinics. In addition to viewing cases, referring physicians can access images associated with these cases and be notified by email as soon as the report is ready for viewing. This module offers unparalleled flexibility for referring physicians who need to review cases away from the office.
Billing
Powerpath provides the ability to link CPT codes with all specimens and any special billable add-on orders. The billing codes default without any extra steps. PowerPath also supports the use of multiple fee schedules and the ability to separate client bills. The system uses standard HL7 interfaces for technical, professional, and global billing, while offering transfer date and time displays as well as a host of standard billing management reports.
Voice recognition
Voice recognition gives pathologists the ability to dictate the patient report using voice recognition software. This module gives pathologists greater control in developing more accurate reports, faster. In addition, pathologists can also use voice recognition to navigate through pertinent case information screens, including patient history.
Maintenance support
With an entire team dedicated to supporting anatomic pathology, IMPAC offers specialized implementation, training, and support to ensure that the system is used to its fullest capability.
Vendor financial stability
IMPAC Medical Systems, Inc. is a leading provider of information technology (IT) solutions for cancer care: from cancer detection and diagnosis, through treatment and follow-up. To learn more about the company’s financial stability, please visit IMPAC’s Investor Relations web site.
End of survey