Radiology’s response to COVID-19 has extended access and expertise to more patients. The pandemic saw some dramatic changes in non-emergency healthcare services as providers attempted to adhere to social distancing protocols, and patients delayed or shrugged off medical imaging services, including routine health screenings and doctor-ordered medical scans.
One study covering several months during the pandemic reported a drop in radiological imaging services as large as 50-70%. To continue providing important screening and diagnostic services while reducing the risk of COVID-19, many radiology practices, including RAO, have expanded their current level of teleradiology service, reading applicable images remotely. Some aspects of teleradiology have been challenging, while others have been so positive, they promise to remain part of the service offerings once the pandemic has passed.
The Challenges
Healthcare workers, including radiologists, are used to working directly with one another to deliver coordinated patient care. RAO radiologists, technologists and support staff have different roles and functions that integrate to make imaging as fast, accurate and easy as possible. Not being able to engage with fellow workers in person changes the interaction many RAO staff have enjoyed for years.
Some tests, like those involving intravenous contrast, as well as interventional treatments, require a radiologist to be on site. However, tests that require only the radiologist’s expertise in interpreting images and spotting disease can often be performed remotely. But this off-site operation requires a doctor’s home office to be fully outfitted with a state-of-the-art computer system capable of handling applications and visual displays that are as sophisticated as RAO’s next-generation scanning devices. The American College of Radiology and other governing agencies set strict standards for each imaging modality, and radiologists must be able to comply with those standards. From MRI to PET/CT to 3D mammography, every tele-radiologist must be able to read images produced by each modality as accurately and confidently from home as they would in the office. Luckily, RAO is able to meet these rigid standards, with cutting-edge remote computer systems capable of handling our suite of highly advanced software and imaging technologies, so there is no gap in care.
The Positives
Easier Access - Teleradiology provides a fast, easy connection between radiologists and doctors and their patients, extending diagnostic expertise to rural or remote areas that previously have little-to-no immediate access to a radiologist. Teleradiology enables more people to connect with a subspecializing radiologist as well, which can provide a significant increase in the quality of care. For example, a physician with a patient who has a brain anomaly no longer needs to rely on the services of the radiologist who is the closest geographically – they can instead choose a radiologist who is fellowship-trained in neuroradiology. This can vastly improve the diagnostic accuracy and quality of the patient’s care.
Speed - Using leading-edge technologies like real-time video conferencing and high-speed imaging transfer, radiologists and referring physicians can collaborate and produce rapid diagnoses. This eliminates the need for people in remote areas to travel to distant reaches for high-quality care.
Extended Hours – Weekends, evenings and holidays often see a shortage in imaging staff – but no shortage in events that may require immediate attention, like a serious accident or the sudden onset of a medical mystery. Teleradiology enables care providers to send images directly to radiologists, who can assist on-call after hours.
The pandemic will come to an end eventually, and that will be a beautiful thing indeed. However, we at RAO think some of the better elements of teleradiology are here to stay. The wider access to subspecializing radiologists is a huge benefit. The RAO radiology team, which subspecializes in practice areas ranging from Women’s Imaging to musculoskeletal MRI to nuclear medicine and beyond, offers teleradiology services to extend its expertise to more patients and referring clinicians than ever before.
