Never Deliver a Late Result Again: SLAs in Eden PACS
SLAs for the Radiologist Worklist
As part of the clinical management mechanisms within the Eden PACS platform, a control layer has been added that allows service level agreements (SLAs) to be established for study reading times by radiologists. This functionality ensures clear traceability of response times, especially in contexts with high demand, multiple priority levels, or contractual requirements.
What it is
This is a tool that allows the maximum acceptable interpretation time for a study to be defined and monitored, from its entry into the worklist to the signing of the report. Each study receives a timestamp based on its clinical priority, modality, patient type, or location, and the system triggers alerts if the established deadlines are exceeded.
SLAs can be applied generally or customized by study type, institution, shift, or radiologist group. The system automatically records actual reading times and enables compliance auditing.
What it is for
The SLA tool in the worklist makes it possible to:
- Standardize reading times by priority level (urgent, preferential, routine).
- Improve operational traceability in contexts with multiple readers or institutions.
- Generate compliance metrics to assess clinical or contractual performance.
- Trigger visual alerts when the defined maximum time is approaching or exceeded.
- Facilitate decision-making on the redistribution of pending studies.
How it affects the workflow
Previously, reading times depended solely on the judgment of the radiologist or the operations coordinator, with no clear reference for expected turnaround windows. Now, with integrated SLAs, the system can organize the worklist based on real clinical priorities, reduce delays, and provide transparency into interpretation times.
The alerts do not interfere with the reading workflow, but they allow the user to prioritize critical or urgent cases. Compliance or non-compliance is automatically logged and can be viewed in operational reports or quality dashboards.
Implications for the user
With established reading times, radiologists can organize their workload more efficiently. The system does not block the reading of studies outside the SLA, but it does visually indicate when a study requires priority attention.
Institutions can use these metrics to validate delivery times, improve shift assignment, or adjust their subspecialty offering.
Final considerations
The SLA module for the worklist is a key tool for improving the quality of radiology service, especially in contexts with multiple radiologists, differentiated contracts, or institutions with demanding delivery times.
Its implementation requires no changes to the viewer or the reading console. It can be configured from the RIS-PACS administration panel and adjusted by modality, institution, or shift.