A Community at Risk
As the Director of Radiology at Hocking Valley Community Hospital, I have seen firsthand the challenges of providing specialized imaging care in a small, rural hospital. Located in southern Ohio, we are the only hospital in the county. When our long-time radiology group could no longer provide breast imaging services, we faced a crisis.
Coverage dropped from four days a week to zero, leaving women without local access to breast cancer screenings. We had already seen what happened when screenings declined during COVID—cancer rates went up. We feared history would repeat itself.
Recruiting a full-time breast imaging radiologist simply wasn’t feasible. Finding one locally would be like searching for the grand unicorn of all unicorns. Without a solution, many women would have to travel over an hour for imaging, a trip we understood many wouldn’t make. The risk of delayed diagnoses was real, and so was the threat of losing patients to larger healthcare systems permanently.
From Skeptical to Relieved: Remote Breast Imaging
For a small hospital like ours, teleradiology for breast imaging initially seemed daunting. Could patients receive the same level of specialized care? Would it still feel personal? How would that impact our compliance and state inspections?
We discovered that remote subspecialist breast imaging was not only possible—it could be done exceptionally well.
All of our screening and diagnostic breast exams, including ultrasound and MRI, are now interpreted by vRad’s subspecialist breast imaging team. By using large-screen video phones, vRad has made the personal connection between the radiologists, our technologists, and our patients nearly the same as with an on-site radiologist. In fact, patients speak face-to-face with the radiologists, typically within one hour of their diagnostic exam. This immediate feedback puts them at ease, eliminating the stress of waiting days for results.
The integration between the video phone and the radiologists’ system makes it very easy for our technologists to look at images and review cases with the radiologist in real-time.
Compliance and State Inspections: A Critical Concern Solved
One of my biggest concerns with a remote model was maintaining regulatory compliance. Breast imaging programs must meet strict clinical and regulatory standards, and state inspections can be very stressful.
Tammy Noraas, vRad's Breast Imaging Program Manager, deserves an award. She’s incredibly responsive and keeps everything organized. From BI-RADS and MQSA documentation to physicist information to Lead Interpreting Physician reviews, Tammy helps ensure compliance is never an issue. She even makes herself available the day of our inspection, so everything goes smoothly. She likes to say a client has never failed an inspection on her watch and I believe it. She’s a former breast imaging technologist and has been with vRad from almost the beginning, after they introduced the breast imaging service in 2014.
Keeping Care Local: Keeping Patients Engaged
Beyond providing high-quality breast imaging, partnering with vRad has helped us retain patients who might otherwise leave for larger healthcare systems. When patients go elsewhere for one service, they often transfer all their care—lab tests, imaging, etc. The risk of permanent patient loss from our small hospital was significant.
By offering subspecialist breast imaging locally, we haven’t just preserved our patient base—we’ve expanded it. Some patients who had started seeking care elsewhere have returned. It’s been a huge win for our hospital and our community.
A Partnership That Changed Everything
The transition to remote breast imaging with vRad was nothing short of transformative. Losing our radiology group was devastating—there were tears. But there were also tears of relief when we implemented a solution with vRad.
The implementation process was the smoothest I’ve ever experienced in my career. Every step was well-organized, and vRad’s support made the transition seamless. It was incredible to see how efficiently everything came together.
Looking back, I’m deeply grateful for this partnership. vRad has allowed us to provide high-quality breast imaging, keeping care local, and ensure the women in our community get the screenings and diagnostics they need. I couldn’t be more thankful for a solution that not only works but has truly made a difference—for our patients, our hospital, and our entire community.
Learn more about how another clinic was able to expand their breast imaging care in this blog, Breast Center Thrives With Remote, Fellowship-Trained Radiologists.
You can also click to learn more about vRad's Breast Imaging and Telemammography Services.
