Teleradiology: Basics, Benefits, and Considerations
Learn whether teleradiology is right for your urgent care and what to consider when choosing a service provider
There are many reasons that clinic owners would choose to leverage teleradiology. This is growing field that — with advancements like AI — continues to get better at making fast, accurate overreads affordable and accessible to medical facilities with connectivity. Let’s look at teleradiology as a whole and then dive into some specifics around benefits of use and how to select a vendor.
What is Teleradiology?
Teleradiology is a specialized practice within radiology where medical images, such as X-rays, CT scans, and MRIs, are captured at one location and then transmitted to another location for interpretation by a radiologist. This allows radiologists to analyze and diagnose these images without being physically present where the images were taken.
Radiology itself involves various techniques to capture images of the internal body, aiding in diagnosis and treatment. Teleradiology enhances this by enabling the sharing of these images with other radiologists and physicians, facilitating consultations and second opinions regardless of geographical barriers.
Teleradiology is especially useful in practices like urgent care, where only a small percentage of patients need an x-ray, and therefore it doesn’t make financial sense to hire a full-time radiologist to perform overreads.
Teleradiology Market
According to Grand View Research, the global teleradiology market was valued at $12.6 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow significantly, with a CAGR of 25.30% from 2024 to 2030. This growth is driven by several factors:
Increasing prevalence of diseases: More people are being diagnosed with conditions that require imaging, boosting the demand for teleradiology
Rising demand for second opinions and emergencies: Teleradiology allows for quick consultations and second opinions, which is crucial in emergencies
Impact of COVID-19: The pandemic highlighted the importance of remote medical services, including teleradiology
Shortage of healthcare professionals: There is a lack of specialists in fields like pediatric, neurology, and musculoskeletal radiology. Teleradiology helps bridge this gap by allowing specialists to review images from anywhere
Additionally, the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into teleradiology is transforming healthcare. AI can quickly analyze large amounts of data, aiding in disease diagnosis and personalized treatment plans. It also helps streamline administrative tasks and optimize resource use, improving overall patient care.
The adoption of Picture Archiving and Communication Systems (PACS) and ongoing research in eHealth are further boosting the demand for teleradiology services. As AI and teleradiology continue to evolve, they are expected to revolutionize healthcare, leading to significant medical advancements and better patient outcomes.
Who Can Take X-rays in an Urgent Care Center?
Do you have someone on staff who is qualified to take x-rays at your clinic? See if this JUCM article helps.
No matter your healthcare niche, fast and accurate x-ray overread results are crucial for providing timely and appropriate care. This not only boosts patient satisfaction but also enhances your reputation. Here are six ways a teleradiology service can further benefit your business:
Lower Costs
By partnering with a team of contracted radiologists, you eliminate the need to pay for a full-time radiologist’s salary and benefits. Your teleradiology provider acts like a full-time expert on your staff, always available, never taking sick days or vacations, and fully trained to respond quickly and authoritatively to your needs.
Enhance Consultations
Clinicians often need a second opinion. Urgent care clinics with a teleradiology service contract can quickly consult with an expert to determine the best treatment method without needing to call in another practitioner or colleague who isn’t on-site.
Increase Patient Satisfaction
Patients expect excellent service from their healthcare providers. Contracting with the right teleradiology service can help meet these expectations by enabling quick diagnosis and treatment, simplifying the patient experience, and consolidating billing. This makes the process easier for patients, fostering long-term relationships and generating more referrals and business for your clinic.
Improve Medical Decision-Making
When patients require radiology procedures, clinicians need immediate, accurate reads to determine the best treatment. Knowing that a licensed radiologist is reading your patients’ x-rays allows clinicians to proceed with the right treatment confidently and swiftly.
Increase Speed of Results
Teleradiology providers have a large pool of experts available at all times, ensuring you and your patients don’t have to wait for answers. These providers offer quick turnaround times by working with radiologists nationwide, sending reports securely and electronically, and being easily reachable for follow-up questions. This leads to faster patient treatment and higher satisfaction.
Reduce Professional Liability
An overread by a consulting radiologist can reduce professional liability for urgent care providers, who see a wide variety of injuries and symptoms requiring radiology procedures. Many centers choose to send all images for overread to protect themselves and their business. Partnering with a reliable teleradiology service adds value and serves as an extension of your urgent care business, enhancing your radiology reputation and leaving a lasting positive impression.
How to Win Patients Over for Increased Retention
Are increased patient volume and satisfaction major goals for you right now? Read our eBook for tips.
The accuracy and performance of your teleradiology company contributes to the reputation of your clinic, so it’s important to know you’re choosing wisely. Here are some key factors to consider when selecting a provider for your medical center:
Accuracy
When evaluating teleradiology services, prioritize accuracy over cost. While some companies may offer cheaper or faster services, the real concern should be the potential for costly errors. Accurate readings are essential for patient safety and the reputation of your urgent care center. A misread x-ray can lead to serious consequences, including expensive lawsuits.
Reputation
A provider’s reputation is closely tied to their accuracy and overall service quality. Read online reviews and ask for references from other clients. This will give you a better understanding of the provider’s reliability and performance.
Experience in Your Specific Health Sector
Ensure the teleradiology provider has experience working with the type of healthcare you provide. For example, a radiologist experienced in urgent care better understands the need for a quick turnaround.
Communication
Effective communication is vital in teleradiology. The leading cause of malpractice cases is the failure to communicate positive findings. Teleradiologists should proactively follow up on any concerns to prevent errors from slipping through the cracks.
Availability for Consult
Check if the teleradiology provider offers HIPAA-compliant ways to communicate directly with radiologists. This ensures you can quickly get answers to any questions about a reading, enhancing the quality of care.
How to Market and Diversify Services to Your Community
Understand generational preferences and get ideas on ways to appeal to current and future patients for business stability.
X-ray services are a key factor that distinguishes urgent care centers from other walk-in healthcare facilities. Yet, it is not very common for an urgent care center to employ a full-time radiologist. And since patients expect urgency from urgent care, it’s vital that a teleradiology service can meet the unique needs of on-demand healthcare. Accuracy is always most important in teleradiology, but in urgent care, speed and support are close seconds. Here are a few benefits of working with Experity, a company that specializes in urgent care:
Available Solutions Center
We are here for you 365 days a year with extended hours. Whether you need a reread, IT support, additional information, or a status update, we ensure our clients receive prompt and accurate information. And our HIPAA-compliant secure chat feature allows you to communicate with an Experity Teleradiology team member without needing to make a phone call.
Access to Radiologists
Whether you need more details about a read or additional information, real-time access to a radiologist leads to better patient care. Clients can reach our radiologists via secure chat through our Solutions Center and request to speak with the radiologist working on their case.
Fast, Accurate Results
Ultimately, what matters most is your patient. We maintain a 99% accuracy rate, completing most STAT reads in under 15 minutes and routine reads in under 30 minutes. Our board-certified radiologists, assisted by AI technology, can identify hidden abnormalities that may not be indicated by a patient’s chart. This ensures you receive trustworthy results promptly, often before the patient leaves the clinic.
We also own our image storage system (PACS), which streamlines the process and improves efficiency. This results in high-quality reads and fast turnaround times, exceeding industry standards.
Furthermore, we can transmit results directly to your EMR, enhancing your clinic’s administrative workflow. Click below to learn more about Experity’s AI-assisted teleradiology services.
