SHM Converge Scientific Abstract ePoster Gallery-Ur A.I.M.: Improving Access to Inpatient Mri Services at a Large Academic Medical Center and Community Hospital

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The document describes UR A.I.M. (Access to Inpatient MRI), a system-wide quality improvement initiative at the University of Rochester to improve access to inpatient MRI services at both Highland Hospital and Strong Memorial Hospital. The project was motivated by high MRI demand and the negative effects of imaging delays on patient length of stay, safety, and experience. Baseline performance showed that only about 50% of inpatient MRI studies were completed within 16 hours of order, with average turnaround times of 20 hours at Highland and 30 hours at Strong.<br /><br />The main goal was to increase the percentage of inpatient MRI exams completed within 16 hours from 50% to 75% within 9 months. The team identified key root causes, including inconsistent communication between MRI and inpatient teams, lack of transparency in MRI screening and scheduling, inconsistent triage, and uneven scanner utilization.<br /><br />Interventions included developing a standardized MRI triage and workflow flowchart, implementing secure chat communication, aligning expectations around priority status, and creating consistent communication templates. Interdisciplinary and frontline staff engagement was emphasized as essential to success.<br /><br />The project reported substantial improvement: the proportion of inpatient MRI exams completed within 16 hours increased to 73% at Highland Hospital and 68% at Strong Memorial Hospital, with special cause variation noted on control charts. A critical staffing shortage was identified as the major barrier to sustaining improvements. Overall, the initiative improved MRI flow, reduced delays, and supported better patient care and bed capacity.

Asset Subtitle

Keely E. Dwyer-Matzky

Meta Tag

Author List Ben Wandtke, Brigitte Lee, Curtis Benesch, Erin Panter, Henry Wang, Justin Hopkin, Keely E. Dwyer-Matzky, Kristin Kozak, Laurie Mancarella, Peter Fisk, Raymond Fradella, Stephen Conley, Steven Wheeler, Thomas Murray

Category Research

Concept Inpatient MRI Throughput

Concept Length of Stay

Concept Patient Safety

Concept Turnaround Time

Concept Inpatient MRI Exam Completion

Distinguished Non-Finalist

Presenter Organization University of Rochester Medical Center

Presenting Author Keely E. Dwyer-Matzky

Track Quality Improvement

Keywords

inpatient MRI

quality improvement

access to imaging

turnaround time

MRI workflow

patient length of stay

secure chat communication

triage standardization

scanner utilization

University of Rochester

Inpatient MRI Throughput

Length of Stay

Patient Safety

Turnaround Time

Inpatient MRI Exam Completion