Founded in 1996, Memorial Health Group (MHG) is a highly respected health organization in Istanbul, Turkey. As part of MHG, Memorial Hospital in Istanbul opened its doors in 2000. It is the first healthcare institution in Turkey and 21^st in the world to receive the JCI (Joint Commission International) accreditation certificate. As part of their innovative approach, MHG and Memorial Hospital are collaborating closely with Siemens in developing a state-of-the-art radiology department.

Kismet Kuzucu, MD, brought along a list of goals when he was appointed to be the Chief of the Radiology Department of Memorial Hospital. One of which, was to develop a radiology department with the latest technology available in order to increase quality and the number of healthcare services. In Kuzucu’s opinion, it was important to find a vendor that provides a highly integrated PACS (picture archiving and communication system) and RIS (radiology information system) solution that enables efficient workflow, multi-site reporting, and digital archiving. In order to achieve this, MHG conducted extensive vendor evaluations and decided to collaborate with Siemens to implement the Siemens IT solution syngo® Suite as well as new medical equipment. ”Since the project included both modalities and PACS, we looked for a vendor that could offer a complete solution in order to expedite the time to implementation,” explained the facility’s Chief Radiologist.

The highly integrated syngo Suite for RIS/PACS and post-processing covers the complete workflow inside the radiology department. From order placement to image archiving and distribution, it unifies the complete image management workflow that supports the entire electronic radiology order process. A multiphase implementation strategy allowed the hospital to proceed with the expanding operations the hospital was undergoing. In the first phase, new equipment was installed, while in the second and third phases, the focus was set on the installation of the network infrastructure and the implementation of the syngo Suite. In order to ease implementation, comprehensive training sessions using the train-the-trainer-model took place. The user-friendly syngo interface also helped simplify the learning process. According to Kuzucu, “The common syngo language helps users to learn fast, adapt quickly, and it enabled a seamless PACS transition with an extremely short training process.” Shortly after implementation, Memorial Hospital could already experience the benefits of the syngo Suite. By choosing this solution, Memorial Hospital has established a complete digital radiology department, reaching a whole new level of workflow in radiology and bringing the hospital one step further in the overall expansion process.

Key Benefits

• Establishment of a complete digital radiology department
• Highly integrated PACS/RIS solution enables efficient workflow
• Multiphase implementation strategy according to the hospital needs
• Easy adaptation to the new system through user-friendly interface
• Train-the-trainer-model for training all users