As the CIO of Radiology at MEDNAX and vRad, I cannot help but reflect on the history of imaging informatics – and look ahead to the future innovations that emerging technology will bring.

Everything changes when you start a family.

OK – not everything – not all at once – but it certainly does bring change.

Let’s explore the story of a radiologist who faced – and embraced – that change with vRad.

Radiologists must design protocols that enable clinical partners to achieve stroke certification. Medicine is at the forefront of a revolution in stroke diagnosis and treatment, as my colleague Dr. Dym elucidated in 2018. 

The DAWN Trials, among others, support positive results for stroke patients who first receive treatment up to 24 hours after symptom onset. Current guidelines that require treatment within 6 hours or less limit clinicians’ treatment options for stroke patients when initial signs may have gone unobserved, or when the patient may have been delayed in getting to the ER. Emerging guidelines are opening a much larger window of opportunity through which we can properly diagnose and treat stroke victims.

Effective collaboration with your referring physicians can make the difference between getting paid or not getting paid. Cooperation between referring and ordering professionals becomes increasingly important with the approaching implementation date for the Protecting Access to Medicare Act, on January 1, 2020. 

Like you, I assumed from the start that a career in radiology would be a perfect fit. I thought I would always be happy with my choice of specialty and enjoy the anticipated rewards of being a physician. I didn’t consider how over time, the field would change, my personal life would change, or what I wanted would change.

Today we have the capability—unparalleled in human history—to compile enormous amounts of information, then apply sophisticated analytic tools and artificial intelligence to help solve patients’ most vexing difficulties. Managing big data is essential to building specialized centers of excellence, and diagnostic imaging is a vital part of their success.

Patient expectations have changed. Rising healthcare costs are driving patients to demand more information when confronted with a medical issue, and technology is empowering them with access to that information. Today, radiologists are much more likely to interact directly with patients, where previously clinicians mediated imaging reports.

As a 24/7/365 radiology company, vRad’s technology is the backbone of everything we do. In order to deliver patient care, our client facilities must be able to communicate with our servers – and for us, that’s every day, every night, every weekend, every holiday… you get the picture.