Blog

May 7th, 2018

Considering A Radiology Change In 2018? 3 Ways To Ensure A Smooth Transition

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“A year for resilience amid uncertainty.”[1]

That’s PwC Health Research Institute’s prediction for the healthcare industry in 2018. While only time will tell, every indication suggests it paints an accurate picture of the year to come: In attempt to make good on nearly a decade of campaign promises, the Republican-led Congress likely will continue its attempts to overhaul key parts of the Affordable Care Act; and consolidation is expected to again dominate news headlines throughout the year, as healthcare stakeholders look to create value and cut costs.

“In year two of the Trump administration, healthcare leaders will be adjusting their strategies to focus on investments, collaborations and efficiencies that build enterprise resilience on a baseline of continued uncertainty,” PwC’s research team predicts. “Healthcare players, including the White House, Congress, state lawmakers, industry groups and patient advocates, will continue to parry, feint and thrust, which will likely result in additional policy changes.”

For hospitals and health systems, increasing collaboration and efficiency in radiology could mean transitioning to a new group. Understandably, many hospital executives are fearful of change, and for good reason: A poorly executed radiology transition can disrupt patient care throughout an entire hospital.

Bringing in a radiology group, however, doesn’t need to be disruptive. Here’s how to ensure a smooth transition:

• Plan: The initial step in the transition involves fully understanding a hospital’s radiology service levels, including a deep dive into all operational, clinical and financial aspects of the hospital’s previous radiology arrangement, as well as an analysis of existing protocols, workflows, staffing, capabilities and weaknesses.
• Communicate: The new partner should create deliberate communication channels that specifically address staff concerns, communicate changes and explain how processes and procedures will be different moving forward. In addition, medical staff should be provided contacts at other partner facilities to ease transition-related uncertainties and answer questions.
• Lead: An onsite medical director should oversee all radiology transitions. This individual serves as chief liaison with the hospital and its medical staff as well as setting standards and policies, improving processes and overseeing quality and consistency. This collaboration breeds success for all involved: patients, referring physicians and the hospital.

Interested in learning more? Let’s talk. As one of the largest providers of radiology services in the Midwest, Riverside Radiology and Interventional Associates delivers a fully integrated and unified solution that includes workflow, clinical processes and a broad spectrum of physician support services with industry-leading operational performance:

• ED turnaround: 15.6 minutes
  • Benchmark: 30 minutes to 2 hours
• CT turnaround 3 hours or less
  • Benchmark: 4-8 hours
• Stroke turnaround: 5 minutes
  • Benchmark: 45 minutes or less
• Image peer review: 2-3%
  • Benchmark: 1-2%

We also have earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval, as well as compliance with its national standards for healthcare quality and safety in ambulatory care organizations. Our quality committee oversees prospective and retrospective reviews, and each new physician must complete an internally developed compliance and training program.

For more information, contact tborcherding@riversiderad.com or call (614) 361-3900.

 

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[1] PwC Health Research Institute, “Top Health Industry Issues of 2018”