Peer Review as a Shared Service

Peer Review Software

A Shared Service for Members

Peer review is an educational tool that promotes high quality diagnostic imaging repository content. The Canadian Association of Radiologists (CAR) defines peer review as a “a process of self-regulation…employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility…in the context of a radiology service’s overall quality assurance program.”

HDIRS’ chosen peer review software, Coral Peer Review, is retrospective, random, anonymous, and structured. Designed to increase knowledge sharing and trust among hospital members, you can configure it to meet the unique needs of your team and their schedules.

Developed by the Joint Department of Medical Imaging (JDMI) for the University Health Network, Sinai Health System, and Women’s College Hospital, several HDIRS member sites have already been implemented the Coral Peer Review solution.

Convenient, Common-Sense Features

  • Supports studies from varying PACS, across multiple organizations.
  • Randomly selects DI studies within customizable parameters.
  • Strips personal identifiers for Personal Health Information Protection Act (PHIPA) compliance and anonymity.
  • Notifies and sends reminders to reviewers.
  • Provides a standard scoring and commenting mechanism.
  • Produces restricted-access, member-specific reports.
  • No software to install locally; hosted and maintained by HDIRS.
  • Not-for-profit, annual subscription pricing that decreases as more and more members sign on.

Two doctors walking down a hospital hallway
 

 

 

 

Shared Peer Review Benefits

  • Supports continuous learning across modalities and disciplines.
  • Provides a cost-effective IT solution through economies of scale.
  • Enables smaller organizations to more efficiently meet Health Quality Ontario peer review guidelines.
  • Creates the potential to establish a quality and education network of participating organizations, with the ability to enable “inter-site” peer review, leveraging expertise across the membership.
  • Reports and analytics may enable organizational leaders to gauge how teams and individuals are performing and functioning.
  • May improve quality of care and overall patient safety through more accurate studies.
  • Sign up for the service at any time. Enrollment involves choosing a configuration option, specifying reviewers and reviewees, signing a straightforward agreement/terms of use, minimal IT setup, and basic online training.

Female clinicians watching a scan together
 

 

 

 

Three Configuration Options

Inter-site Review

Radiologists across multiple hospitals review and provide feedback on diagnostic exams. Ideal for hospitals with a small team.

Intra-site Review

Peer reviews are limited to a single site. Larger hospitals may prefer this, as they benefit from economies of scale while team building.

Specialty Review

Exams produced at more generalized sites are occasionally (on-demand) reviewed by radiologists at specialized sites (or centres of excellence).

Support

Once signed up for the peer review service, the HDIRS team will leverage its understanding of your IT infrastructure and usage patterns to help you configure the software for maximum benefit.

HDIRS provides documentation (including train-the-trainer materials) to ensure optimal use. HDIRS’ service desk will assist with implementation, provide technical support on a 24/7/365 basis, and capture all suggestions for features and software improvements.

Attentive support and regular site engagement is a key part of HDIRS’ delivery strategy to ensure the service continues to meet member needs, supports provincial quality objectives, and evolves appropriately over time.

Get Started with Peer Review!

Please use the form to communicate with an HDIRS staff member about peer review as a shared service.

Peer Review Services
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