The vast majority of healthcare institutions in the U.S. rely on teleradiology technology. In 2019, “The Current State of Teleradiology Across the United States” survey estimated at that point that 77% used teleradiology. A year-plus into the pandemic, we know that number has gone up. Fortunately, there are teleradiology providers out there today that are putting top-notch solutions in the hands of those who need it most.
Top Reasons for Using Teleradiology
Interest in teleradiology grew at the onset of the pandemic due to social distancing measures that had to take place. Prior to the pandemic, healthcare facilities adopted these services to take some of the load off of their on-site radiologists, helping to curb the burnout issue that hits this industry rather hard at times.
Bringing in outside help can make catching up on backlogs easy. But there is also the issue of off-hours assistance. Rather than having to put a radiologist on call, exams can go out to a teleradiology service.
Healthcare providers who make the decision to adopt teleradiology report faster diagnoses and gain access to radiologists that serve in subspecialties, which is something that is often lacking in rural areas. Therefore, teleradiology has been a go-to technology in these sparsely populated regions of the country.
A Scalable Option
Another issue that plagues rural healthcare providers is the ability to scale. The skills gap that gets a lot of press in the manufacturing industry is also present in the healthcare industry, so finding qualified individuals can be more challenging in rural areas. A strong teleradiology solution is key when the caseloads become intense, rather than trying to find and hire more radiologists, you can simply go through the third-party teleradiology provider.
Accountability
One of the challenges healthcare providers have had with teleradiology services is that they feel like they are sending off exams into a black hole. They don’t know who is getting it, exactly when they can expect results and they also have no control over changing priorities on the exams they send out.
The best vendors are working on better communication services with their teleradiology solutions. The focus is on accountability, which means rather than feeling like they’re in the dark, they keep their clients in the know, provide alerts so the client knows exactly where their exams are in the queue and they also provide the ability to change priority statuses on exams.
At OffSite Image Management, we’re leading the way in accountability. We’re also providing the kind of premium services healthcare providers look for today, but without the premium fees. Contact us and get more information about our teleradiology service called TeleRAD360. It’s a comprehensive teleradiology solution that will change the way you approach workflow.
