Teleradiology as a Hub for Telemedicine

Teleradiology is a Hub Enabling Care Through the Continuum via Telemedicine

In Dr. Pitt’s latest edition to At the Intersection of Technology and Health, we re-visit the dawn of teleradiology, its application, and how telemedicine opportunities are present in other specialties.

Teleradiology moves images from one location, typically where the patient had the exam, to another for interpretation. This transfer allows load balancing and sub-specialty interpretation within a pool of radiologists. By having the right radiologist read the right case, outcomes improve while the cost of care is reduced.

What if teleradiology networks could be used for more than X-Rays? What if the channels built to moving images could also facilitate other care opportunities for telemedicine?

After all, the requirements for telemedicine and teleradiology have significant overlap, both in terms of technology and business relationships. Radiology practices are well positioned to offer an up-sell in the form of additional services on the networks. Hospitals in need of remote radiologists are likely in need of other specialists. Specialty expertise and load balancing are not problems specific to radiology. For example, neurologists and psychiatrists would all benefit by partnering with the existing imaging networks.

As one of only three clinical departments (the other two being lab and pharmacy) providing critical results, radiology is well positioned to act as a hub enabling communication and collaboration throughout the care continuum. There would be some challenges with the workflow and video, in addition to how radiology uses store-and-forward while clinical care requires face-to-face real time encounters. However, these challenges are not insurmountable.

Radiologist’s primary role will always be domain experts for imaging. However, CT, ultrasound and MR haven’t changed much in the last 30 years. Radiology should explore other opportunities. By leveraging decades of experience in managed services, teleradiology can add value to many other forms of care.

Click here to read more At the Intersection of Technology and Health.

Avizia was acquired by Amwell in July of 2018. Information on this page refers to activities that occurred prior to the acquisition and are presented for historical context. Together we provide a comprehensive acute care offering—a full end-to-end telemedicine solution for health systems and their providers.