The pandemic made one thing very clear: Practices must become more agile to survive inevitable imaging volume fluctuations in the coming months and years. Changing how they manage operational costs and business risks will be critical to success.

When COVID-19 forced medical facilities to delay elective procedures across the country, imaging volume plummeted over 50% for many providers almost overnight. While volume has started to recover, the pandemic is forcing imaging service providers to aggressively rethink their business strategies, a key component of which is radiologist staffing.

Behind the scenes, it takes a lot of complex technology and sophisticated software to make an advanced reading platform run so seamlessly. At vRad, our incomparable team of technologists and programmers are developing some of the most advanced applications in the medical industry, all with the goal of empowering radiologists to practice radiology free from unnecessary interruptions, distractions, logistical hurdles, and administrative burdens.

Accelerating care delivery

I am pleased to share that vRad has deployed two additional Artificial Intelligence (AI) models to our imaging platform, bringing the total to seven active models helping patients right now.

The first new model identifies pneumoperitoneum in chest CTs, and the second model identifies testicular torsion in ultrasound scans. Both conditions are critical, and timely diagnoses will have a positive impact on patient outcomes. As with all our innovation and product development, our models are immediately available to clients as part of our AI-enhanced on-the-ground and in-the-cloud radiology solutions.

Our practice is for sale. And frankly, I’m pretty excited about it. Based on past experiences, the sale of vRad bodes well for the future of our practice, our staff and our clients.

After 11 years as a vRad radiologist – 3 of them as Clinical Chief of Abdominal Imaging – I left in 2019 for a teleradiology position at another well-known national practice. Just 9 months later, I’m back. Here’s why.

No one anticipated the rapid onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor the plunge in imaging demand that followed. The question on everyone’s mind is, “When will we return to ‘normal’?” Despite predictions that a drop of 50% to 70% could last 3-4 months, early indicators show volume returning in many parts of the country already.

vRad AI models are at work today prioritizing critical cases like strokes, improving reporting speed and accuracy, and assisting billing compliance. Below, neuroradiologist Josh Morais, MD recalls how AI helped promptly identify a stroke victim in need of immediate treatment, and offers his perspective on the daily impact he sees from AI.

Skilled radiologists can be selective about where they practice. Following are the top reasons over 500 across the U.S. have chosen a job with vRad.