For at least four months, radiology professionals have witnessed drastic reductions in the number of imaging tests being performed. All of that is changing now that elective services are again being offered and radiology departments are tasked with managing a backlog of patients needing imaging services.
Another challenge involves working around the “new normal,” which is wearing personal protection equipment, maintaining a certain distance from other workers and reducing the number of workers in one area. Increasingly, telehealth services, including teleradiology, can be the answer for giving remote workers the tools they need to deliver exceptional results while helping to manage the huge stack of cases that have developed while people were quarantining.
Managing the Backlog
According to some radiology professionals, the backlog has created a situation where patients are waiting up to six weeks to have their exam administered. If managing workflow wasn’t important before the pandemic, it certainly is now.
For providers depending on telehealth solutions, such as teleradiology, partnering with the right vendor can help ease the backlog slog. Once the technologist has completed the exam, it can be sent immediately to a teleradiology platform where another technologist or radiologist can review the exam, dictate the results via voice recording using customized templates and distribute the report to any electronic medical record system.
The best vendors of teleradiology solutions will include tools that improve visibility, so if a priority changes, the exam can be bumped up on the list without any roadblocks. Having this level of visibility is only possible through the top vendors.
Teleradiology Solutions
At OffSite Image Management, we offer teleradiology solutions that really change the traditional approach to telehealth. We created TeleRAD360 for our clients who know it is time to stop using outdated platforms, gain exam accountability and provide options for radiologists who depend on telehealth platforms to deliver care.
Our cloud-based solution offers many benefits, such as built-in RIS, analytics, visibility, reports, cloud dictation, an HL7-friendly option and more control than you’re probably used to having with your current teleradiology setup. Our solution has been available long before the pandemic changed the way radiology departments handled cases, and those who didn’t rely on telehealth services are now finding out just how valuable our teleradiology platform is. Find out more about what we offer by visiting our TeleRAD360 page.
