Teleradiology services expand as demand escalates

What radiology department or imaging center would refuse an extra set of experienced eyes to lighten a mountainous workload, or offer another skilled viewpoint to a perplexing case?

With radiology procedure volume growing by leaps and bounds across all imaging modalities, companies that offer teleradiology services are expanding their personnel and offerings in parallel to relieve some of the reading pressures that radiologists and clinicians face every day.

And teleradiology services may very well see even greater demand as the call for more radiologic subspecialists grows apace. Some industry observers believe that imaging facilities and hospitals are experiencing a shortage of subspecialists, and some facilities could see their competitive edge erode if lack of volume in certain procedures prevents them from maintaining their expertise.

While healthcare facilities may wring their hands over these issues, the same developments have become good news for teleradiology services providers, which have increasingly become viable alternatives as temporary or permanent solutions to a facility's radiologist or subspecialist shortage.

Here is a sampling of what some of the teleradiology services companies exhibiting at RSNA 2006 plan to highlight.