5 ways in which teleradiology can increase operational efficiency for healthcare providers

By incorporating technologies into healthcare services, health institutions can expand access to care. This is important especially at a time when COVID-19 has almost completely restricted the ability to go out and see doctors.

80% of patients are canceling in-person doctor consultations due to COVID-19! If health institutes want to continue to provide patients the same quality of care, they need to enable virtual care facilities. For this, they need to make sharing scans, online consultations, digital prescriptions, and more possible for their patients. An enterprise teleradiology platform can enable healthcare providers to offer remote consultations in real-time.

Radiology is a type of imaging technique that involves taking images of internal body parts to give physicians the insights they need in order to provide the required next steps for patients. This is done for both treatments as well as diagnoses. For example, ultrasounds, MRIs, and x-rays provide more details about the specific region of interest in the body. Teleradiology is the practice that enables electronic transmission of a patient’s radiology image to offsite radiologists, doctors, and healthcare institutions. This creates opportunities for remote care by allowing doctors to review the results of the scan without being physically present with the patients. They can then determine the course of further patient care accordingly. This is especially important for hospitals as teleradiology makes it possible to have access to trained specialists on a 24/7 basis. There are many benefits teleradiology can bring for health care providers:

Reduced risks during COVID-19

Virtual care allows your doctors and radiologists to provide care to patients without bringing in the risk of the virus to your staff and other patients. It also prevents healthy patients from coming for in-person consultations and getting infected. This makes the process of providing healthcare safer and smarter during this pandemic.

Reduced costs

One of the biggest advantages teleradiology brings for healthcare providers is enormous reductions in costs. Firstly, it saves time and money spent on travel for radiologists, by allowing them to work from anywhere. This is a convenient and cost-effective solution for them. Secondly, it also cuts on the costs associated with the printing and sharing of medical images. Using internet-driven platforms for uploading and sharing images, makes the process more efficient for all stakeholders involved.

Wider healthcare access

Since teleradiology solutions are internet-enabled, it eliminates geography as a barrier to receiving the required healthcare. This extends healthcare opportunities to rural areas. It is a feasible and sustainable solution to the lack of quality healthcare facilities in lesser developed areas. In addition, hiring on-site radiologists is very rough in rural areas, and retaining existing ones can be even more challenging. By allowing urban, experienced radiologists to provide consultation in villages, rural people can receive the same quality of care. Furthermore, this comes with little to no extra costs for hospitals.

Faster diagnosis for your patients

Teleradiology offers instant viewing of medical imaging results. This means that patients no longer need to clear their schedules to book a follow-up appointment in order to get diagnoses and learn the next steps. They can receive consultations at their convenience. Doctors and radiologists can now provide a quick and easy diagnosis for patients. This allows them to get care immediately and have a faster recovery.

Improved quality of consultations

Remote radiology services create opportunities for peer reviews and thus, improves the overall quality of consultations provided. Second opinions can easily be given without having to transfer the patient or meet in person. It also allows radiologists and physicians to collaborate with each other easily and determine the best treatment path for the patient. Thus, significantly increasing patient satisfaction.Teleradiology provides a more sophisticated and efficient workflow for healthcare institutions. It enables the efficient distribution of images and reports between the necessary stakeholders. By streamlining communication between physicians and radiologists, teleradiology increases the quality of healthcare services provided. The proven accuracy, quality, and speed that comes with it will surely lead to it becoming the norm even after this global crisis ends. Therefore, the immediate implementation of a durable, long-term teleradiology platform will not only help health institutes treat patients better and optimize operations but, it will also help organizations thrive as they keep up with these uncertain and changing times.