Developing a referring physician-centric practice is a gold mine that can increase referrals, better the bottom line and optimize decision making and patient care.
Radiology stakeholders often point out that imaging is the most IT-advanced medical specialty. Indeed, radiology has elevated informatics to an absolute science, developing and leveraging systems, tools and processes to measure lesions in millimeters and productivity in milliseconds.
Given this year for the first time, the Best Practices in Radiology Quality and Economics Awards recognize five practices that are using imaging to improve patient care and outcomes.
Radiologists are clinicians consultants. We direct clinical management based on our expert interpretation of patient images. Yet, in many cases, radiology reports may not reflect our clinical expertise. Common problems include overuse of vague terminology and omission of the impression. Addressing these flaws can go a long way toward meeting clinicians needs and improving patient care.
