Did you know that nearly 90% of all radiology services in the US are presently being outsourced to offshore vendors?
Did you know that nearly 90% of all radiology services in the US are presently being outsourced to offshore vendors? And this is not just due to usual cost benefits associated with outsourcing. There are numerous other advantages in terms of speed, accuracy, security and many more that is compelling healthcare providers to embrace the outsourcing route. Let’s take a look at a few of these benefits in detail-
Faster Diagnoses
Thanks to teleradiology, doctors no longer have to wait hours, or even days, to get the radiology images interpreted and initiate the diagnosis process.
According to a study done in the UK, it takes about 21 days to sign off a radiology report starting from the time it was received.
There will be no downtime in interpreting images as was the case earlier; as soon as the radiology images are transmitted via the internet, the process of interpretation starts and the final reports are sent to the doctor in no time, thereby speeding up the delivery of care my several notches.
A Built-In Second Opinion
Teleradiology providers make it a norm that after the initial interpretation of the images by a member of their radiologist team, an additional set of eyes will review the report. The fact that every single image is reviewed by a minimum of two experienced professionals makes sure that there are no slip-ups, while also meeting stringent quality assurance guidelines. These multiple layers of quality assurance are of exception importance for hospitals that is facing staff shortage owing to the pandemic-induced mobility restrictions.
According to the Department of Health and Human Services data, about 22% of hospitals in American states faced medical staff shortage.
Read Also Why Teleradiology Services are Growing in Prominence with Each Passing Day?
Improved Security
By outsourcing radiology services you are not only improving the accuracy by virtually guaranteeing that every image is reviewed by multiple radiology experts, but also greatly reduce the chances of HIPAA violations. This is because remote medical imaging companies are well aware of the intricacies of HIPAA privacy rules and regulations, and use private, secure platforms and procedures that ensure zero compliance breaches.
A 2019 National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) report stated a spike in ransomeware attacks on file formats and medical networks by planting a malware in a digital imaging and communications in medicine (DICOM) image.
Better Access to Healthcare
With remote teleradiology services, patients no longer have to go through pain of travelling great distances to get their reports interpreted. They can simply visit any nearly physicians for preliminary care and have their radiology images interpreted by offshore experts before zeroing on a plan of care.
However, there is a word of caution before you opt for a random offshore teleradiology service provider. Not all advanced radiology service providers are created equal, and it is up to you to partner with the one that meets your unique needs and offers top-notch service. For instance, you should always opt for a teleradiology company that offers real-time access to the reports so that you can ask queries and get clarifications on the go. Once you zero-in on the right choice, you will witness significant improvements with regards to efficiency and quality of care along with putting breaks on unwanted cost expenditure.
Here’s a look at the factors you must consider while partnering with teleradiology providers.
Appropriate certifications– One of the sure-fire ways of determining whether prospective teleradiology providers follow the recommended quality standards is to ensure their accreditation by the American Board of Radiology (ABR). Insurance companies are known to do a prompt initiation of service reimbursements for an ABR certified radiologist.
Cost structure– One of the unpardonable mistakes committed by enterprises is to judge the feasibility of partnering with teleradiology service providers is their low-price promises. In most of the cases, a low price indicates at an insufficient investment on equipment and expertise. It is always a prudent call to compare teleradiology services provided by the leading players and determine the one who befits your requirements the best. This should be followed by a cost comparison with other prospective and equally good teleradiology service providers.
Ability to customize as per your unique needs– Enterprises must ascertain the programming ability of teleradiology service providers to accommodate requests for customized services. An ideal service provider delegates an advisory group that will include customers, the CIO, and the radiologist who would provide the necessary inputs on equipment and expertise upgrades that will enable the provider to scale up to the client’s customization requests.
Ensuring data security– It is extremely critical to adjudge the security protocols followed by the radiology billing software. Since there are chances that the data processed via the software can be potentially accessed by hackers, teleradiology service providers are expected to maintain a team of network professionals who can field and maintain servers and firewalls to ensure utmost data security and regulatory compliance.
If all these factors are properly taken into account, then the benefits of outsourcing radiology services far outweigh the advantage of having the services performed inhouse.
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