Teleradiology
What is teleradiology?
Teleradiology is a field of virtual medicine in which an off-site radiologist interprets medical images sent from a healthcare facility. Mobile imaging companies, hospitals, and urgent care facilities often use teleradiology.
With teleradiology, an imaging center takes and sends medical images to the radiologist, who can then read the images, make a diagnosis, and send the results back to the provider who took the scans. Because the radiologist is not on site, communication and care coordination are vital in teleradiology.
How does teleradiology improve healthcare?
Teleradiology improves healthcare by providing patients with a radiologist’s expertise, even when an on-site radiologist is not available at their place of care. This is especially beneficial in rural areas where there may not be radiologists widely available.
Additionally, facilities that use teleradiology are able to receive professional interpretations of medical images without having to employ a radiologist on-site. Instead, teleradiology enables the facilities to pay per exam, which is usually a much lower cost. This pay-per-exam model is especially appealing for facilities with small volumes of radiology patients.