Learn why films are still missing in a PACS environment. Understand why less then 100% of radiology exam have a radiology report available. Learn how to address the "lost film” and ”missing report" problem integrating information in RIS and PACS.

The installation and implementation of a hospital wide image management system has been reported to have a positive impact on radiology report turnaround time and has significantly reduced, but not eliminated the "lost film” and ”missing report" problem. Our experience in finding the "lost films" and "missing reports" in a filmless environment is discussed. Each step of an exam is reviewed from the time a patient is schedule to the time a final report is signed. Comparing the status changes in RIS and PACS helps in identifying where a breakdown occurred and who is responsible to fix the problem, but it is very time consuming, if done manually. To expedite this process, we have developed an application that at scheduled intervals automatically compares the status changes in RIS and PACS and generates reports of the problem cases. These reports are printed on designated printers or emailed to the responsible parties at designated times.