Case Studies

As a rural, critical access hospital, Ochsner St. Martin Hospital in Breaux Bridge, La., prides itself on restoring, maintaining and improving the health of their community, which sits between Lafayette and Baton Rouge. But a few years ago, the 25-bed hospital—that services the “Crawfish Capital of the World”—realized they weren’t living up to that mission as they turned away patients seeking open MRI services because they only offered closed system options. 

First there was PACS: picture archiving and communications systems. Over the last decade, as managing medical imaging has expanded far beyond radiology, enterprise imaging was born. But what is enterprise imaging in its best form?

“Good harmony” is the way John P. Erwin III, MD, describes the synergy of the 2021 ESC/EACTS Guidelines for the management of valvular heart disease (VHD) released in August along with the ACC/AHA guidelines that rolled in December 2020.

It’s not uncommon for severe aortic stenosis to go unrecognized, and thus untreated. When the data points to the existence of low-flow, low-gradient aortic stenosis, a diagnosis can be even more challenging.

What if artificial intelligence (AI) could support doctors in making decisions faster?

Looking back on my career as a radiologist—now in its 22nd year and counting—I see three themes consistently guiding my “work-life balance.” These would be control, culture and lifestyle. Let me explain.

In 2020, a growing health system in the Northeast asked vRad for assistance. Like many providers around the country, all of its hospitals were struggling with physician shortages that largely stemmed from recruiting challenges.

Radiologists have an important choice to make at the beginning of their careers: do they want to start a fellowship after their residency or immediately join a radiology practice?

The world of EP keeps getting busier and busier, and ICMs make it easier for clinicians to keep up. 

What a difference three years can make. In 2018 the radiologists of Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare registered a unanimous opinion: “There’s no way we’re going with Hitachi as our CT supplier.” Late 2021 finds the same tough crowd still united on the CT front.

The United States has faced a growing shortage of physicians for some time. This long-term trend—coupled with the pandemic and increased imaging demand throughout 2021—have led to a highly competitive radiologist employment market at a time when practices find themselves short-staffed, overworked, and in need of relief.

Can you recall the last shift during which you spent close to 100% of your time on clinical duties?

I can. It was my last shift. I had no administrative obligations, no committee meetings, no software glitches, no running around trying to find a physician or tech—just eyes on images and voice into the mic.