Telerays Founder Dr. Daniel Roubein - Exclusive Feature Interview

radRounds (NEW YORK) -- This month, we have a very special feature interview and Q&A with radiologist-entrepreneur-innovator, Dr. Daniel Roubein of a new teleradiology startup company, Telerays. Many of you will likely have heard of Telerays by now -- Telerays is an auction-based teleradiology provider. Telerays "is an expansion of the teleradiology model Dr. Daniel Roubein built as CEO of Radiology Reading Centers of America, a national service offering expert final intepretations of all types of radiologic studies at competitve fees. Telerays builds on this concept with an online auction and a reading room in which radiologists can download radiology cases and upload final interpretation reports for placement in the patient's medical record."
Q. radRounds: What is your inspiration and rationale behind founding Telerays?
A. Dr. Dan Roubein: The Telerays Auction Network revolutionizes the industry because it levels the playing field for all parties: • We allow small hospitals or imaging centers to have direct access to quality doctors out there instantly. • We give larger facilities access to competitive pricing that they may not find nearby due to higher costs of living. • Radiologists control when they work, they can choose their cases, decide their fees and receive a larger percentage of that fee. They gain a better lifestyle as they are in charge of their time and their fees.
Q. radRounds: What do you hope Telerays can do to improve radiology and healthcare in general?
A. Dr. Dan Roubein: Telerays keeps both sides of the equation moving: • Telerays provides a way to connect people together so they can work with each other no matter where they are and at fees they agree on. We follow the existing teleradiology model that effectively separates the on-site radiologist’s role from the off-site radiologist’s role. • Hospitals and imaging centers prequalify the radiologists and then settle who will bid, specify the schedule, and agree to a fee to cover cases each month or by quarter. They receive one final report and there are no delays in diagnosis with this advance preparation. • Radiologists can keep their existing practice and earn additional income with Telerays. There is no exclusivity required to work with our auction. With huge volume potential, radiologists can build their own practices through Telerays.
Q. radRounds: Tell us about how Telerays is doing (share some success stories).
A. Dr. Dan Roubein: Telerays is in the initial phase of recruiting and credentialing our radiologists. More than 100 radiologists have registered with Telerays to-date. We are also registering hospitals and imaging centers. We expect some limited auction activity as we finish out the last quarter of 2008 and will ramp up full scale auctioning during the first quarter of ’09.
Q. radRounds: Tell us more about your background and what lead you to have an entrepreneurial spirit?
A. Dr. Dan Roubein: I have a great deal of experience in all areas of the radiology industry beginning my career as an academic neuroradiologist and clinical instructor and continuing as a staff radiologist at a 400+ bed hospital where I became chairman of the department. In 2005, I founded my own teleradiology company and was inspired by the potential of this growing segment of the industry. I understand the landscape from all angles and wanted to address some of the pitfalls I experienced. As a physician, I believe that delivering the highest quality of care to patients is of paramount importance. Telerays’ credentialing process and its quality improvement advisory panel, which reviews a sampling of the radiology interpretations, helps us set a high standard of service. With quality addressed, we connect the parties together, help control costs for the facilities and let the radiologists have a say in the process. The beauty of Telerays is that the market decides what is best for a given case at a given time.
Q. radRounds: What advice do you have for other radiologists who also have an entrepreneurial spark and wish to innovate and improve healthcare?
A. Dr. Dan Roubein: This is a fantastic time to be a radiologist. The field is growing and the technological advances are coming at a phenomenal rate. There are new opportunities to embrace which will improve the process, result in better care of patients and better lifestyles for doctors. Telerays addresses these three touch points and is a natural progression for the industry. Radiologists can now negotiate directly and the middleman fees are reduced. By connecting people together, we make it easy for hospitals and imaging centers to tap into highly skilled doctors at fair prices. And we are giving control back to the radiologists to set the fees and accept the cases they want to work on.
Q. radRounds: There has been some controversy regarding Telerays among radiologists. Some fear that Telerays may commotidize radiology. What are your thoughts?
A. Dr. Dan Roubein: Teleradiology was hard for radiologists and facilities to accept at first and now it is a growing part of the industry. Today, most people view it as a necessary piece of operating 24/7. Change is always difficult but new ideas are the future of any industry. Telerays is a revolutionary idea because it is a great equalizer. All parties are put on a level playing field and gain from the process. The same parameters which currently govern the practice of medicine and teleradiology apply to the Telerays model. We are committed to the care of the patient. The ultimate goal remains the same. FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TELERAYS SERVICES, PLEASE VISIT THE
TELERAYS WEBSITE.
Produced and Written by Jennifer Larson Staff Writer, radRounds