Structured Reporting

rScriptor

Structured Reporting

Overview

There has been significant interest in structured radiology reporting over the last several years. Numerous research articles have described the benefits of this form of reporting which include increased report clarity, greater referring physician satisfaction, increased reimbursement and the ability to data-mine the reports. But what is a structured radiology report?

Definitions vary in the literature but in general a structured report is one that divides the anatomical or functional components of the human body into individual categories in the report. These categories are found in the Findings section of the radiology report. This is in contrast to a narrative report where there are no individual categories and all of the findings are placed in the Findings section in one or more paragraphs.

The Radiological Society of North America (RSNA) actively promotes the use of structured radiology reporting through its Radiology Reporting Initiative. They also provide structured reporting templates which are useful as a starting point towards creating standardized structured reports.

But as many radiologists have noted, the software to support the use of structured reporting is limited. The software that does exist is either too difficult to use, reduces productivity, or distracts the radiologist from finding pathology in medical images.

Scriptor Software has developed a software solution to fill this need. Our product, rScriptor, allows the radiologist to create structured radiology reports in less time than it typically requires to dictate a narrative report. rScriptor does not distract the radiologist from the images allowing the radiologist to keep their eyes on the images at all times while dictating. We have created hundreds of structured report templates which are available for immediate use and can be customized as needed. Please see the FAQ section to the right or the video below for a detailed description of what we believe to be an innovative and long-overdue tool for radiologists.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Scriptor Software

What is rScriptor?

rScriptor is our innovative radiology reporting software which creates high-quality narrative or structured radiology reports from a disorganized and unformatted dictation. It integrates with your existing dictation software allowing the radiologist to focus on the images and not on the dictation.

Will rScriptor increase my productivity?

Radiologists routinely see productivity gains of between 5% and 30%. These gains are due to rScriptor's ability to automatically generate various parts of the report, by eliminating the need to dictate negative findings, and by allowing the radiologist to dictate the findings and impressions sections simultaneously.

Does rScriptor work with my current voice recognition software?

Yes. rScriptor works seemlessly with virtually any dictation or word processing software including Powerscribe, Dragon, M-Modal and even Microsoft Word.

Do I have to dictate into a structured report template?

No. There is no report template displayed in the dictation window with rScriptor. Findings are dictated in any order and rScriptor allows you to dictate both the findings and impression sections simultaneously. rScriptor takes care of putting the dictated text into the correct location in the final report.

Do I have to use pull-down menus?

No. There are no pull-down menus and no point-and-click interface. You dictate using a few simple rules to separate your findings into individual paragraphs and rScriptor inserts these into the report automatically. The radiologist never has to look at the dictation window when using rScriptor.

Do I have to create the structured report templates?

No. rScriptor comes preconfigured with hundreds of high quality structured report templates which your practice can customize to meet their needs. These templates are being used worldwide to create millions of structured reports each year.

Can our practice customize the report templates?

Yes. Scriptor Software will assist you in changing the report templates to meet your practice's needs at no additional cost. Any reports customized by your practice will be available to your practice only.

How does rScriptor reduce errors?

rScriptor makes use of our proprietary realtime Natural Language Processing (NLP) engine to check your report for errors and alert you of an error before you sign the report. Error checking includes left/right errors, gender-specific errors and errors related to upper vs. lower extremity anatomy descriptions.

How does rScriptor maximize reimbursement?

Because reports are created from templates, the exam description and technique section of each report are pre-written to ensure the report gets coded and billed correctly. The CPT and/or ICD-10 codes can be (optionally) inserted into the top of every report.

How can rScriptor help with ICD-10?

ICD-10 requires the use of specific terminology regarding abnormal findings in radiology reports. Our realtime NLP algorithm checks your report to determine if the level of detail required is present and warns you if it believes additional information is required.

How can rScriptor help us avoid MIPS penalties?

Our realtime NLP algorithm checks your report for wording that does not meet MIPS requirements. It then warns you of any deficiency allowing you to correct the deficiency before you sign the report. MIPS reporting errors are collected each month and available to your practice in monthly analytics reports

How does rScriptor help with critical findings?

Our realtime NLP algorithm checks each report for critical findings. If it locates a critical finding it warns the radiologist that direct communication to the referring physician is recommended. It can even automatically launch a critical reporting software application if you are using such an application.

Who uses rScriptor?

rScriptor is used by hundreds of radiologists worldwide to create millions of radiology reports each year.

Is rScriptor hard to install?

No. We have a simple instructional video which is 6 minutes in length explaining how to download and install the program. Installation requires less than ten minutes.

I've tried similar products before and they don't work.

So have we. In fact that is the reason we created rScriptor. We could not find a product that would reliably place dictated text into the correct location in a structured radiology report. The direct integration of a knowledge base into the dictation system is also unique. We would encourage you to try our solution. We think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Is there a long training process?

No. rScriptor is very easy to use. Most users go through a short online tutorial and are using rScriptor to create structured reports in under 30 minutes.

How do we get started?

We would be happy to arrange for a Web-based demo or you can use our online tutorial to start a free trial of rScriptor immediately. Just send us an email at sales@scriptorsoftware.com to get started.