BLOOMINGTON, Minn., Nov. 10, 2010 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — A
new initiative launched by the Institute for Clinical Systems
Improvement (ICSI, www.icsi.org), a nonprofit, health
care improvement organization, could save the Minnesota health care
community more than $28 million annually, as well as improve
patient care and provider groups’ productivity.

The initiative is the first statewide diagnostic imaging
decision-support approach in the country.  For participating
medical groups and hospital-based clinics in Minnesota it offers a
clinical “decision-support” tool, embedded in their electronic
medical record (EMR) or accessible via the Web, so their providers
can order appropriate high-tech diagnostic imaging (HTDI) exams
while with the patient.

“Use of HTDI procedures such as MRI, CT, PET and nuclear
cardiology tests has been increasing 8% annually in Minnesota, and
more than $100 billion is spent each year on diagnostic imaging
nationally. Yet there have not been enough studies to correlate
this increase with improved patient outcomes,” says Cally Vinz,
vice president of clinical products and strategic initiatives,
ICSI.  “Our goal with this initiative is to ensure the
appropriate use of HTDI exams based on the medical evidence so that
patients get better care, providers are more efficient and health
care is more affordable.”

Based on Yearlong Pilot and Subsequent Two-Year Usage

The ICSI initiative expands upon a pilot involving roughly 4,000
physicians from five Minnesota medical groups—Allina Medical
Clinic, Fairview Health Services, HealthPartners Medical Group,
Park Nicollet Health Services, and St. Mary’s/Duluth Clinic Health
System; four health plans—Blue Cross Blue Shield of
Minnesota, HealthPartners, Medica, and UCare; and the Minnesota
Department of Human Services (DHS).

The pilot was the result of an ICSI collaboration with provider
groups, radiologi

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