The Radiology Group

Rapidly advancing technology is changing the type of radiology services that successful hospitals must offer. Radiology demands have increased over the past several decades due to the increasing clinical utility of new radiologic studies such as CT and MRI and the greater availability of and capacity to perform these studies. The added demand for radiologists coupled with a shortage of radiologists has put a burden on hospitals. The increase in radiology specialization has also made it difficult for hospitals to afford to have in-house experts.

The Radiology Group provides a platform that presents a distinct blend of on-site and virtual radiologists trained in every subspecialty. This unique delivery system improves quality and turnaround time allowing for more timely and appropriate treatment.

Situation

Working with a mid-sized hospital the following challenges were identified:

• Current radiologist was overwhelmed with the growth of the hospital
  
• The surgeons required specialty reads
  
• The hospital was losing revenue and studies to larger hospitals 
• Patients were demanding the latest technologies, facilities, and solutions
  
• The physicians requested better communications with the radiologist and quicker turnaround times
  
• Reimbursement rates were stagnant
  
• Inefficiencies existed in billing and collections
  
• Difficulties found in recruiting specialty radiologist to rural areas
  

Solution

The Radiology Group provides a platform that presents a distinct blend of on-site and virtual radiologists trained in every subspecialty. Using voice recognition software, specialized radiology exams are interpreted by specialty radiologists with most reports having a turnaround time of less than one hour. The flexibility of the solutions allows for increases in volume, utilization of radiology equipment to full capacity, and 24/7 coverage.

The Radiology Group developed the following solution for the midsized hospital:

• Installation of new radiology equipment to meet the community demand [digital mammography, MRI, and mutli-detector CT]
  
• Provided support for current radiologist for increases in volume
  
• Offered a team of specialized radiologists, allowing the hospital to allocate select exams to the experts
  
• Established digital voice dictation
  
• Provided strategic direction and collaboration with current radiologists and radiology director to enhance radiology services.
  

Better Health & Lower Costs

Results from implementing The Radiology Group's solutions included the following:

• Improved performance metrics
  
  • The quality and turnaround time exceeded the expectations of the physicians and the patients
    
  • Specialty reads were performed by fellowship trained radiologist
    

• Reclaiming lost revenue
  
  • Facility reimbursements increased by 36%
    

• Additional benefits
  
  • Ability to accommodate an increase in number of studies per month while maintaining quality and not increasing overhead
    

With the rapid changes in science and technology the field of radiology will continue to experience rapid change. The Radiology Group enables hospitals to easily adapt to this change.