ACR Task Force on Teleradiology Practice. Presentation to the ACR Council May 6, 2013 Zeke Silva III, MD, Task Force Chair

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "ACR Task Force on Teleradiology Practice. Presentation to the ACR Council May 6, 2013 Zeke Silva III, MD, Task Force Chair"

Homer Terence Arnold
6 years ago
Views:

1 ACR Task Force on Teleradiology Practice Presentation to the ACR Council May 6, 2013 Zeke Silva III, MD, Task Force Chair 1

2 ACR Task Force on Teleradiology Practice 2

3 Members Ezequiel Zeke Silva III, MD, TF Chair Robert (Bob) M. Barr, MD Paul E Berger, MD Giles W Boland, MB, BS Michael Bohl, RT, MHA Jonathan Breslau, MD Lawrence A. Liebscher, MD Woojin Kim, MD Paul Nagy, PhD Samir Sunil Shah, MD Cynthia Sherry, MD James E. Tierney 3

4 Supporting Individuals ACR Staff: Tom Hoffman * Mike Tilkin * Shavouna Farmerie * Bill Shields Pam Wilcox Brent Savoie, MD, JD Our peripheral consultants * Lead staff

5 5

6 Background Provided Prior ACR Comments on Teleradiology Current State of Teleradiology Positives and Negatives Market Changes General Definitions 6

7 End Users Hospitals Patients Teleradiology Radiology Groups Referring Physicians 7

8 A Living Document To create a living document Consistent with existing ACR standards and recommendations congruent with upcoming IT reference guide 8

9 Guiding Principles 9

10 The Teleradiologist Licensure Medical Staff Privileges Malpractice Coverage Board Certification Professional Standing Quality Improvement Peer Review 10

11 The Work Environment Work Space Viewing Monitor Privacy and Security (HIPAA) 11

12 Interpretive Services - Principles The importance of patient primacy All professional services and interpretations are accessible, safe, accurate and timely The teleradiologist shall be responsible for the quality of all images interpreted 12

13 The Continuum Begins before image acquisition and extends beyond the rendering of the report Teleradiologists should be engaged, directly or in a supervisory role with these activities Image Acquisition Report 13

14 Interpretive Services Prior Studies Physician to Physician Communication MD to RT Communication Turn Around Time Ghost reading

15 Payment / Regulatory Medicare Billing (CMS-1500 form) Accreditation Medical Directorship Place of Service Anti-Markup 15

16 Technology Specific Basic Infrastructure System Integration Congruent with the upcoming IT Reference Guide 16

17 Practical Considerations for Radiology Practices Contract Considerations Competitive Market Forces 17

18 ACR Action Items 18

19 Action Item #1 19

20 The Task Force acknowledges the benefits teleradiology services can bring to patient care, including improved access to radiology services, and subspecialty expertise in settings where it otherwise may not be available. 20

21 Therefore, the ACR should continue to refine the guidelines and standards for teleradiology practice and work to develop protocols and software to better enable the bidirectional communication between physicians, technologists, imaging managers and the like. 21

22 Similarly, better protocols for EMR integration, peer review interfaces and non-manual communications with dictation systems should be developed. 22

23 Action Item #2 23

24 The Task Force is concerned that the emerging model of full-service teleradiology companies assuming the professional contracts for facilities may be evolving faster than the development of appropriate safeguards and acceptable work processes. 24

25 Specifically, the evolving nature of teleradiology and the potential shortcomings described in this document could increase the possibility of communication errors, incomplete and non-actionable reports and harm to the patient ranging from increased radiation to major lapses in treatment. 25

26 The ACR should continue monitoring the practice of teleradiology and work with its providers to ensure the use of teleradiology achieves the same high standards we expect from the more traditional practice model. The ACR should also remain watchful that incumbent radiology providers strive to maintain practices that are at least of the same quality as teleradiology providers. 26

27 Action Item #3 27

28 While the Task Force understands and appreciates the benefits teleradiology brings to the profession and the communities we serve, we also believe the traditional practice model of having on-site, local radiology groups may better serve the overall interests of most communities. 28

29 The Task Force recommends the ACR educate and inform its members as to how they should be changing to enhance their provision of noninterpretive services that may become critical to maintaining a presence at their respective facilities. 29

30 This includes training for leadership roles within the hospital system, particularly as such roles relate to broader strategic planning. More importantly, every radiologist practicing within a group should strive to participate as fully as possible in the best quality patient care. 30

31 Radiology groups that do not engage in such activities may find themselves more easily replaced by a corporate entity. 31

32 Thank you! Zeke Silva III, MD South Texas Radiology Group University of Texas Health Science Center San Antonio, Texas 32

Choosing a teleradiology provider

Choosing a teleradiology provider Tim Hunter, MD Professor Emeritus, Department of Medical Imaging University of Arizona Purpose of this talk Provide brief overview of teleradiology Provide a general guideline