Teleradiology as an Option for Non-Radiologists Who Self- Refer

The Huffington Post—August 12, 2009

In an era where hospitals are as busy as ever, teleradiology is emerging as a potential option for physicians to buy their own equipment, house it in their own facility, and outsource the interpretation of the images that are taken.

Teleradiology is used in two ways. Teleradiology can be an excellent resource for quality image interpretation. For instance, images performed in private offices and imaging centers that send their acquired CT or MR or conventional x-rays examinations to be interpreted by academic centers and subspecialty fellowship trained board-certified radiologists benefit their patients. Board-certified radiologists with a specific subspecialty, such as dedicated spine, dedicated shoulder, etc., provide patients with optimal interpretation for accurate diagnosis.

As a patient, you should always ask questions: who is performing, reading and interpreting my imaging studies? Your physician should be working with fellowship and subspecialty trained radiologists to help both with acquiring and interpreting the images. Collaboration between the radiologist and the clinician has the greatest potential to provide the best diagnosis and treatment decisions.

Read the full article at huffingtonpost.com.