Radiology Trends in 2020 Focused on Telehealth.

Through the challenges in 2020, radiology departments across the country dealt with complexities by utilizing different technologies, some of which had been around for a while but weren’t in high demand until the pandemic forced changes. These trends were highlighted recently in the 2020 Radiology Society of North America (RSNA) meeting.

Among the “trends” is one that has actually been ongoing for some time but didn’t gain universal notice until the pandemic, and that involves the disparities in innovation between urban and rural radiology providers. A greater gap was seen over the year, given that radiology exams with advanced modalities saw a 43% increase in 2020, which many rural providers can’t provide. Also to note among radiologists surveyed, 23% of them say they are using inefficient work processes.

AI to the Rescue

AI (artificial intelligence) could step in to shore up some of the technology disparities between rural and urban providers. One example of how AI could help providers overcome rural challenges is in mammography screenings. AI could be utilized to sort out the ones that show results that are not normal from the ones that show a normal image. With so many radiologists stretched to their limits, AI could help ease the burnout issue that is so pervasive by taking care of some steps of the review process.

Telehealth Advantages

Coming in at no surprise in 2020 trends, is the adoption of telehealth technologies. COVID-19 forced many radiologists to find new ways of doing their work remotely, as working in tight quarters, even with masks on, presented a health risk.

The adoption of telehealth platforms came with many advantages that radiology departments are going to hang onto even after the pandemic subsides. This came as no surprise to radiologists who had already adopted these technologies and were benefiting from them before their colleagues jumped in.

At OffSite Image Management, we have provided our TeleRAD360 solution to clients for years, offering them tools that make viewing images incredibly easy. Radiologists who were falling behind because their platforms were outdated found that they finally had the accountability they were looking for after implementing our telehealth solution.

With TeleRAD360, our premier cloud-based teleradiology solution, our customers get report distribution, integrated RIS, voice recognition, imaging worklist management, cloud diagnostic viewing and complete mobility, which is why we call it our 360-degree solution.

Learn more about what you can get when you partner with OffSite by contacting us today.