Teleradiology - Love or Hate?

(DIAGNOSTIC IMAGING -- Teleradiology: Love, Loathe, or Laissez-Faire?)

There are few buzzwords likelier to get a strong reaction from radiologists than the one mentioned above. Bring it up, and folks can get animated, agitated, or downright angry. Terms like “commoditization” and “predatory competition” follow, and the tone is often one of us-versus-them.

Part of what makes this such a tinderbox is that “teleradiology” refers to a heterogeneous group of entities, and it’s easy to dismiss them all with a single condemning sweep of the hand. However, a signed, formal report of a 2AM study from an ABR-certified, fellowship-trained radiologist with multiple state licensures should not be tarred with the same brush as a one-sentence “prelim” assessment generated by a mysterious individual on another continent with neither verifiable credentials nor any lasting accountability for his work.

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