Formed in 1995, Baltimore-based Advanced Radiology, P.A. is the largest radiology practice in Maryland. Known for outstanding diagnostic expertise and service to referring physicians, Advanced Radiology serves 20 outpatient diagnostic imaging centers and seven hospitals in Baltimore, Anne Arundel, Carroll, Harford, and Howard counties.

The practice consists of 90 board-certified radiologists with experience in PET/CT, high-field and open MRI, multislice CT, nuclear medicine, and interventional radiology, as well as X-ray, general radiography, mammography, ultrasound, bone density scanning, and fluoroscopy.
 
The Challenge

Advanced Radiology’s teleradiology program recently grew too complex to manage in-house. As more radiologists and hospitals were added, a number of issues appeared:

Administrative and staffing. Its paper-based system had inherent issues, including legibility problems, lost paperwork, and massive storage requirements.

Furthermore, staffing issues also appeared. If administrative staff did not report for a shift (a somewhat common occurrence), the radiologist had to handle multiple administrative issues as well as their own workload, adding to their stress level and impacting their productivity in terms of reading studies, many of which require quick turnaround times given the nature of a patient’s condition.

Infrastructure. Advanced Radiology soon discovered that managing a teleradiology system requires full-time networking/IT professionals. The system, as with any mission-critical system in an organization, requires constant upkeep, maintenance, and monitoring to ensure proper operation.

Advanced Radiology constantly experienced networking and bandwidth issues that prevented radiologists from being as productive as possible. Furthermore, the radiologists were unable to troubleshoot the issues because of their complex technical nature.

Significant increase in volume. As the number of hospitals and reads increased, Advanced Radiology required a more efficient process and infrastructure in order to maintain their high-quality standard and fast turnaround times.

Lifestyle issues for radiologists. Reading remotely is a growing industry trend. By having the ability to read remotely, radiologists can enjoy improved quality of life while maintaining high standards. Advanced Radiology believes that it is in the process of transitioning to reading increasingly more cases from remote locations, which will affect the lifestyle of its doctors and hopefully also improve patient care.

As all of these issues converged, Advanced Radiology began looking for companies that could provide a state-of-the-art teleradiology solution. NightHawk Radiology Services, headquartered in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, came to mind, given its reputation as a provider of radiology services for hospitals, clinics, and imaging centers across America.

Advanced Radiology’s initial approach to NightHawk coincided with NightHawk’s decision to enter the market as a teleradiology infrastructure provider.

The Solution

Advanced Radiology ultimately chose NightHawk and its Talon™ Workflow Solution after a multistep evaluation process.

“We knew that NightHawk had the expertise to run a large successful operation, so it was logical that we evaluate their new offering,” says Douglas Brunner, MD. “They showed us their software and explained what was involved. A number of us then traveled to a NightHawk reading center in Zurich [Switzerland] to watch the system in action.”

Brunner was impressed by what he saw. “In our search for a high-quality outsourced teleradiology solution, we saw many demos, but observing an actual, working reading center – and the power of Talon and the NightHawk solution – had a positive effect on us and our decision to choose NightHawk.”

Talon is unique in that its processes ensure that scans are evaluated by the most qualified radiologist on staff in the most timely manner. Upon receiving a case, the radiology workflow system automatically identifies qualified doctors who can read scans in that state for that hospital.

It then determines which doctors specialize in the type of evaluation needed and who is readily available. Using advanced image distribution, scans are sent to the appropriate doctor for the case, and the hospital receives the study online, completely eliminating the trials and tribulations of paper-based systems.

Designed by doctors, for doctors, the paperless system can be quickly integrated into an existing practice, limiting administrative work and enabling radiologists to better track the number and timing of studies to maintain and evaluate proper staffing levels. NightHawk’s system will enable our doctors to do what they do best – interpret studies.

“The real-time study status and statistical reporting will create a better environment for the doctors and better results for the patients,” Brunner says.

While Brunner believes that turnaround times have improved with Talon, he requires clear data to confirm this, and he is pleased that the NightHawk system will provide such data over time. Such data will help Advanced Radiology properly monitor their teleradiology system.

Advanced Radiology also sees two issues that NightHawk will help with in the long run.

“First, we want to have any case available to any doctor no matter where they are located,” notes Brunner. “This will help us balance workloads, thereby making all of our doctors more productive. It also will help us get the best qualified person to read each study, which should improve patient care.”

Brunner also adds, “Having access to the quantitative/management tools that Talon provides will allow us to keep track of productivity and appropriately manage workflow so that we are efficient and productive, while maintaining our high patient care standards.”

Advanced Radiology physicians, techs and staff members are keenly aware of the stresses and concerns people can experience while undergoing testing and treatment. The goal is to help patients and their physicians get the information they need, as quickly as possible, to better manage and improve the quality of care they receive.

Having this system can help Advanced Radiology be as efficient as possible, allowing it to fulfill its mission of providing outstanding diagnostic services to referring physicians and quality, compassionate care to patients.


— Robert M. Stroud, MD, is president of Advanced Radiology, P.A. Questions and comments can be directed to editorial@rt-image.com.