PET scanner scheduling efficiency: how Mayo does it

This is a lengthy, thorough description of a study undertaken at the Mayo Clinic’s Rochester (MN) campus to model and improve efficiency in a busy positron emission tomography (PET) suite.  Patient flow is discussed and the PET scanning process described.  The most frequently used radiopharmaceuticals, their half-lives and uptake times, are listed.  Among the findings were the value of knowing–when scheduling–what the patient’s BMI (body mass index) is.

Source: Marmor, Y.N., Kemp, B.J., and others.  Improving patient access in nuclear medicine: a case study of PET scanner scheduling.  Quality Management in Health Care;22(4):293-305, Oct.-Dec. 2013.  Click here for access to publisher’s website: http://journals.lww.com/qmhcjournal/pages/default.aspx  Posted by AHA Resource Center (312) 422-2050, rc@aha.org