Imaging Technology News - November/December 2008 - (Page 41)

> > special report Teleradiology’s Growth Comes of Age Teleradiology’s growth garners both praise and blame. by Richard R. Rogoski Greg Rose, M.D., says NightRays is increasing its staff of specialized radiologists to cover the increasing demand for specialty reads. he rising tide of teleradiology services is being heralded by some as a breakthrough in radiology that will ultimately improve the quality of healthcare and provide new jobs for U.S. radiologists. Others, however, place part of the blame for a shortage of radiologists on the growth of teleradiology. And the use of foreign-based teleradiologists to do preliminary reads at lower costs has raised concerns over the quality of these reads and whether U.S.-based radiology service providers or the healthcare organizations that contract for these services can be held liable for reading or diagnostic errors. It will take years before all the clinical and legal questions are answered. But the one thing that everyone does agree on is that teleradiology will continue to reshape the radiological landscape. T Growing trends The healthcare profession, in general, has been slower than corporate America in adopting more efficient and cost-effective IT solutions. But with the growing acceptance of RIS/PACS, radiologists now have more options in how they can collect, store, read and exchange images. Teleradiology became a logical and natural progression in the use of this new technology. “All teleradiology is saying is that we can apply Internet and bandwidth technology to solve the problems of efficiencies, quality and costs,” indicated Scott Seidelman, pres— Arl Van Moore, M.D., ident and CEO of Cleveland, OH-based Franklin Charlotte Radiology and Seidelman Subspecialty Radiology (F&S). Arl Van Moore, M.D., president of Charlotte Radiology in Charlotte, NC, and the current president of the American College of Radiology (ACR), says higher bandwidths and increased CPU power, especially, have been driving teleradiology. “About five years ago it became more affordable and more acceptable,” said Dr. Moore. According to Dr. Moore, every radiological subspecialty is growing under teleradiology with the exception of digital mammography, which requires extremely high bandwidths to accommodate the larger images. Interestingly, Seidelman believes that to a large extent, radiologists themselves are driving the growth of teleradiology subspecialties. “Radiology is moving toward individual body parts, paralleling what’s going on in surgery, for example,” he said. With referring physicians wanting more complete and detailed images from a variety of scanner types, there is a growing demand for specialty radiologists who, for example, can read and interpret breast, neuro or cardiovascular images, Seidelman says. But according to a 2006 study conducted by F&S, 23.4 percent of radiologists who responded said subspecialty coverage was less than adequate given the requests from referring physicians. “They aren’t getting the specificity and depth of report they want,” noted Seidelman. It is important that radiologists make their role in patient care known. A field in transition It has been reported by a number of research groups and publications that Reduced reimbursements are also exacerbating the current shortage of radiologists, says James Backstrom, M.D. the demand for imaging procedures is outpacing the number of radiologists by 3 to 1 and predictions indicate a 140 percent increase in annual imaging procedures for Medicare patients by 2020. Additionally, it is estimated that up to 20 percent of the U.S. image interpretation business — worth up to $15 billion per year — will soon be provided through teleradiology. The inability to find enough qualified, specialized, on-site radiologists has forced many hospitals and radiology groups to rely on teleradiologists. To meet this growing demand, radiology service providers like Bellaire, TX-based NightRays are beefing up their teleradiology staff. “While NightRays is a 24-hour general teleradiology service that offers preliminary, final and ‘pre/fin’ reports, we have found the need to continue to increase our radiologist staffing with special expertise to cover the increasing requests for breast MR, MSK, peds, neuro and mammo studies,” said Greg Rose, M.D., Ph.D., NightRays’ president and CEO. There are still opportunities for general radiologists, but with the field subspecializing as much as it is, many radiologists are finding greater personal and professional satisfaction Need for Specialization Imaging use is growing at five times the rate of the radiologist population, and radiologists score highest among other specialties for acceptable image quality.Yet, is radiology on the path to extinction? In a recent article,1 Barry D. Pressman, M.D., FACR, discusses how nonradiologists are increasingly interested in vertically integrating imaging into their practices, while teleradiology and picture archiving and communication systems are resulting in the greater isolation of radiologists. Dr. Pressman urges radiologist colleagues to take the lead in combating commoditization by continuing to deliver value to the healthcare system through frequent patient and referring physician interactions, initiating research opportunities, and delivering quality interpretive consultations, rather than just a list of findings, through their reports. By distinguishing themselves to referring physicians as experts, says Dr. Pressman, engaging in subspecialty training and become increasingly involved in patient care, they can maintain their status in medicine. The explosion of computers and their benefit to productivity will lead to some market growth in radiology, according to Frank Levy, Ph.D.,Yale, Daniel Rose Professor of Urban Economics. However, this growth will be paired with the need for increased specialization as competition for reads among nonradiologist physicians increases. Levy also warns that compensation for radiologists will likely slow as they are pushed into practicing in larger organizations.2 References: 1. Pressman, Barry D., M.D., FACR,“Distinction or Extinction?”Journal of the American College of Radiology, Volume 5, Issue 10, Pages 1036-1040, October 2008. 2. Levy, Frank, Ph.D.,“Computers and the Supply of Radiology Services: Anatomy of a Disruptive Technology,”Journal of the American College of Radiology, Volume 5, Issue 10, October 2008. Teleradiology’s Growth continued on page 42 Nov/Dec 2008 > special report > 41 http://new.reillycomm.com/imaging/special-report-b.php

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Image Technology News - November 2008

Image Technology News - November 2008 Contents RSNA CT Systems Imaging An Image is Worth a Thousand Words Ultrasound Systems MBI Takes on FFDM Trouble in Multi-PACS Paradise When is Appropriateness Criteria Appropriate? RIS/PACS in a Web 2.0 World Digital Mammography Helps Center Continue its Commitment to the Best in Patient-Focused Breast Cancer Cardiovascular Imaging Systems PARCA Extends Expertise to World PACS Market

Image Technology News - November 2008

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