Fierce competition, declining reimbursements, the need to stay up to date with the latest technologies, the importance of staff retention and satisfaction, economic recession caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are among the severe challenges radiology practices are facing these days.
Radiology leaders are constantly seeking new ways to add value to what they do and to create a competitive edge for their practice.
Below are 6 ways radiology leaders can enhance the value of their practice.
1. Interaction with patients
Patients can provide you with many valuable insights about the quality of your services. Listening to their opinions will help you identify opportunities to improve care and support your investment decisions.
Social media can be useful for collecting patients’ feedback and interacting with them. Two-way communication on the hospital or clinic’s Facebook or Twitter pages can also help attract new visitors: a patient that feels taken care of and listened to will likely recommend your facility to their family and friends.
2. Implementation of innovative technologies/equipment
Investing in new technologies may help improve productivity of a radiology department. Thus, integration of workflow platforms can help improve resource utilization and ensure more efficient management of radiologists’ work across sites. The use of voice recognition software can speed up the reporting process and give physicians more time to read images. A partial integration of teleradiology solutions may enable more efficient use of radiology infrastructure, especially in the era of the COVID.
New or additional imaging modalities may play a significant role in improving the level of care, but they come at a cost and investment may not be available these days. While some practices are installing 3D mammography machines, it is possible to stay competitive without the burden of investment in tomosynthesis equipment instance: some AI reading aid software may help boost cancer detection on 2D mammograms.
3. Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to boost the quality of care
Utilizing innovative AI-tools, such as decision-making support software, can help augment radiologists’ efficiency and improve the accuracy of diagnosis. Supported by AI, radiologists will interpret studies faster which can help reduce the patients’ waiting time for diagnosis. AI can also help lower diagnostic errors rate and improve patient satisfaction.
In addition, having an AI tool at your practice can help attract and retain young specialists: using AI as a second opinion on the case will let them feel more confident in their diagnosis and make their shifts less stressful.
4. Addressing radiologist burnout
Radiologists’ burnout can lead to diagnostic errors and may negatively impact the facility’s reputation. Hiring additional – possibly non-medical – personnel, creating a more hospitable work environment, modifying compensation structure, or using novel technologies can help overcome burnout in radiologists, improve personnel’s satisfaction and deliver better patient care.
5. Education sessions for referring physicians
Holding learning sessions for referring staff led by radiologists will help physicians deepen their knowledge, let them interact with peers and meet new colleagues. These sessions may cover trending radiology topics or latest technologies in the industry. Result: more appropriate imaging for patients, better mutual understanding and improved care.
A good example is the experience of Chambersburg Imaging Associates in Pennsylvania who held short lunch-and-learn sessions on breast density.
6. Collaboration with an academic hospital
If financial resources are limited, joining forces with an academic hospital can help the radiology practice improve service quality, provide physicians with access to innovative equipment and get valuable experience from academic radiologists. This is what Long Island, New York-based Nassau Radiologic Group gained from their collaboration with NYU.
We will be happy to show you the value that AI could bring to your radiology practice. To discover the benefits of AI now, sign up for a free demo of MammoScreen an AI-powered tool providing you with decision-making support for breast cancer screening.