title: Informatics leaders in radiology: who they are and why you need them.
abstract: IT in health care has evolved rapidly over the past 20 years. The rise of the computer is at the core of these changes. Most agree that although these technologies have revolutionized the practice of medicine, they have additionally fostered a data revolution that is simultaneously useful and disruptive. The effective use and implementation of the right IT tools are critical to the success of the imaging profession. This article serves as a guideline to radiologists on how to build an effective IT division within an imaging enterprise from the perspective of leadership, management, and human resources. We address the process for building an IT team from the ground up and also provide recommendations for modifying an existing IT group to make it more effective. Paramount to this discussion is the concept of the imaging informatics professional and the advantage this type of training brings to a radiology department. In addition, we focus on the critical role of the physician informaticist as a liaison to bridge gaps among the IT, medical, and administrative functions in an organization.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah. Electronic address: mbmrad@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Matthew B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.affiliation: University of Maryland School of Medicine, College Park, Maryland.
authors.forename: Christopher D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Meenan
authors.affiliation: Department of Imaging Informatics and Musculoskeletal Imaging, Children's National Medical Center, Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, Washington, DC, and George Washington University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Nabile M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Safdar
authors.affiliation: Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland.
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nagy
authors.affiliation: Departments of Radiology and Rehabilitation Medicine; Neuroradiology; and Imaging Informatics, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: Adam E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Flanders
mesh_terms: D007587:Job Description; D007857:Leadership; D008490:Medical Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017146:Models, Organizational; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D011871:Radiology / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011873:Radiology Information Systems / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States
keywords: Physician informaticist; administration; education; human resource; leadership; qualifications; responsibilities; training