Teleradiology offers many benefits to doctors, hospitals and clinics. These include:
Improved Patient Care – By enabling radiologist subspecialists like MRI radiologists, pediatric radiologists and neuro-radiologists to provide their expertise without having to be in the same location as the patient, teleradiology enhances patient care.
Cost Savings – By outsourcing radiology services, hospitals save money and become more efficient with their resources. This includes a reduction in the amount of time spent traveling to and from radiology sites, improving access to imaging services for patients and making it easier to track quality and efficiency.
Consultation and Collaboration – By using teleradiology to send and receive images, doctors can seek second opinions from experts in their field that may not otherwise be available. This can help to make lifesaving discoveries and diagnoses that may have been missed previously.
Increased Coverage – By outsourcing scans during non-traditional work shifts such as after hours and weekends, healthcare organizations can increase coverage without the costs of hiring additional staff. This is particularly helpful during times of high imaging volume, such as during the pandemic or when there are shortages in medical staff.
Productivity – By outsourcing final radiology reports 24/7, hospitals and imaging centers can ensure they are providing the same level of quality to patients at all hours. This eliminates the need to start each day with preliminary report over-reads, which can cause backlogs.
In addition, teleradiology allows for radiologists to receive their workload during off-hours so they can get enough sleep at night and maintain their effectiveness. This is especially beneficial during emergencies as it allows them to be more productive during the days.