1. [ Insert organization name ]
Sponsored by the Patient-Centered Radiology Steering Committee of the Radiological Society of North America
[ Insert organization name ]
Rev 2016

2. [ Insert organization name ]
Overview
Why should we, as radiologists, be patient-centered?
How can radiologists be patient centered?
Implementing patient centered practices: Practice management examples
Resources

3. Why Should We, As Radiologists, Be Patient-centered?

4. “…patients’ expectations have changed
“…patients’ expectations have changed. Most patients want to talk with their health care providers and to play an active role in health care decisions.
“…Yet despite revolutionary technological advances that are resulting in high-spatial-resolution anatomic imaging, radiologists are still entrenched in the historic cultural practice of communicating with referring physicians only and not with patients.”
Gary M. Glazer, M.D., and Julie A. Ruiz, Ph.D. Radiology 2006; 241:11-16

5. “By default if not by design, the consumer is emerging as the locus of priority setting in healthcare.”
JC Robinson, Ph.D., UC Berkeley

6. “To transform the current public misperception about our profession, the distance between patient and radiologist must be bridged. Patients acquire their value judgments largely through personal interactions with individual medical professionals.”
Arl Van Moore Jr, M.D Former Chair of the ACR Board of Chancellors

7. Statement Excerpt From The Coalition for Patient-Centered Imaging
“The Coalition represents the undersigned healthcare organizations committed to ensuring that patients have full access to high quality, convenient, and up-to-date imaging technology … organized in response to efforts to limit the availability of imaging services provided in physicians’ offices … such as obstetricians/gynecologists, neurologists, orthopedic surgeons, cardiologists and urologists.”

8. “Keeping medical imaging in the hands of physicians who treat patients is critical since it allows them to use their detailed knowledge of the patients’ medical history and specialized training to produce the most effective treatment plan possible.”
Mark Gittleman, M.D.

9. “Keeping medical imaging in the hands of physicians who treat patients is critical since it allows them to use their detailed knowledge of the patients’ medical history and specialized training to produce the most effective treatment plan possible.”
Mark Gittleman, M.D.
He is a breast surgeon.

10. Why Should We, As Radiologists, Be Patient-centered?
An ACR Survey in 2008 indicated that:
Less than 50% of patients believe that radiologists are healthcare professionals who administer imaging tests
Less than 50% understand that radiologists are licensed physicians

11. How Can Radiologists Be Patient-centered?

12. “It’s time we adjust our perception of how we see ourselves and, more importantly, how we’re seen by the medical community and general public. We need to vigorously promote ourselves in order to attract referrals from primary care physicians and those patients who are self-referred. We must change the perception that we are consultants only and demonstrate our ability to provide complete patient care.” Harvey Neiman, M.D ACR Bulletin 2002

13. How Can Radiologists Be Patient-centered?
Be visible to patients and referring clinicians

14. How Can Radiologists Be Patient-centered?
By being visible, you:
Give radiologists a face and demonstrate the value-added service we provide for the healthcare team
Portray that radiologists are imaging experts and knowledgeable physicians
Show that radiologists are patient advocates
Demonstrate concern and knowledge about patient safety and radiation risks.

15. How Can Radiologists Be Patient-centered?
Be visible to patients and referring clinicians
Provide timely interpretation for patients and referring clinicians

16. How Can Radiologists Be Patient-centered?
Be visible to patients and referring clinicians
Provide timely interpretation for patients and referring clinicians
Consider giving results to patients in person

17. Sick and Scared, and Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
By Gina Kolata
Published: August 20, 2005
“Freddie Odlum spent two terrible days waiting by the phone for her doctor to call. She had had a CT scan to investigate a suspicious mass in her lungs and Ms. Odlum, a Los Angeles breast cancer patient, was all too aware that if the cancer had spread, her prognosis would not be good.
“But her doctor did not call [for several weeks]. … The scan did not show cancer, but she could not forgive her doctor. ‘This internist had been my family doctor for years,’ Ms. Odlum said. … ‘I never spoke to him again.’”
Kolata, G. (2005). Sick and Scared, and Waiting, Waiting, Waiting. The New York Times.

18. Patients expect timely results
Sick and Scared, and Waiting, Waiting, Waiting
By Gina Kolata
Published: August 20, 2005
Patients expect timely results
“Freddie Odlum spent two terrible days waiting by the phone for her doctor to call. She had had a CT scan to investigate a suspicious mass in her lungs and Ms. Odlum, a Los Angeles breast cancer patient, was all too aware that if the cancer had spread, her prognosis would not be good.
But her doctor did not call [for several weeks]. … The scan did not show cancer, but she could not forgive her doctor. ‘This internist had been my family doctor for years,’ Ms. Odlum said. … ‘I never spoke to him again.’”
Kolata, G. (2005). Sick and Scared, and Waiting, Waiting, Waiting. The New York Times.

19. Radiologists Are Reducing the Pain of Uncertainty
By Gina Kolata Published: November 24, 2014
“…patients are more insistent on knowing how and why doctors make decisions about their care. And more and more medical centers and doctors’ offices are allowing patients to log on and see their medical records, which can include reports on scans.
“But many people never consider asking to speak to a radiologist and many doctors seem to have no relationships with radiologists – they just hand patients a prescription for a scan…. “Yet patients want to hear from radiologists….”
Kolata, G. (2014). Radiologists Are Reducing the Pain of Uncertainty. The New York Times.

20. Providing Results Directly To Patients Is Possible
Survey of 261 patients:
92% wanted to be told of normal results by their radiologist
87% wanted to be told of abnormal results by their radiologist
Schreiber MH, Leonard Jr M, Youmans Rieniets C. Disclosure of Imaging Findings to Patients Directly by Radiologists: Survey of Patients’ Preferences. American Journal of Radiology 1995; 165:

21. Providing Results Directly To Patients Is Possible
Majority of test results are normal, or do not indicate life threatening conditions
96% of 287 patients: test normal, or non-malignant condition
Vallely SR, Manton Mills JO. Should Radiologists Talk to Patients? British Medical Journal 1990; 300:

22. Reality Of Conveying Results
In 2003, there were 1,275,300 newly diagnosed cases of cancer, and 23,345 radiologists
Even if every case is diagnosed by a radiologist, that is one abnormal result per week per radiologist
American Cancer Society (
Pasko T, Smart D. Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the U.S. JAMA 2005; 1

23. Reality Of Conveying Results
Is a privilege and a responsibility
Must be customized for each radiologist’s environment
Preferences of referring clinicians should be elicited prior to initiating a results-communication program
Is an important professional opportunity

24. How Can Radiologists Learn To Be More Patient-centered?
Participate In The
Radiology Cares® Campaign

25. The Art of Patient-Centered Practice
Radiology Cares:
The Art of Patient-Centered Practice
Vision
Patients are the primary focus of
radiologic care.
Mission
The Radiology Cares® campaign mission is to optimize the patient experience in radiology.
RadiologyCares.org

26. Implementing Patient-centered Practices: Practice management examples

27. Patient-centered Radiology
The components:
Billing
Scheduling
Registration
PATIENT-CENTERED
EXPERIENCE
Results
Reporting
Reception
Caregiver
Interactions

28. Patient-centered Radiology
The components:
Billing
Scheduling
Registration
PATIENT-CENTERED
EXPERIENCE
Results
Reporting
Reception
Caregiver
Interactions

29. Scheduling Is the correct exam scheduled?
Are proper preparation instructions given to the patient?
How quickly can you get the patient into your office to be examined?
Back-logs will induce consumers to shop around for other providers
Do you offer web-based scheduling?
Registration, scheduling, and instructions must be a one-stop process

30. Patient-centered Radiology
The components:
Billing
Scheduling
Registration
PATIENT-CENTERED
EXPERIENCE
Results
Reporting
Reception
Caregiver
Interactions

31. Perception Is Reality…
Waiting Room
“LOUNGE”

32. Reception Construct a “patient lounge” rather than a “waiting room”
Provide a concierge-like experience with a greeter during peak volumes
Attend to consumer inconveniences, such as unanticipated delays

33. Patient-centered Radiology
The components:
Billing
Scheduling
Registration
PATIENT-CENTERED
EXPERIENCE
Results
Reporting
Reception
Caregiver
Interactions

34. Caregiver Interaction
Technologists must have a consistent, friendly, professional demeanor
Does the patient get to talk to the radiologist before or after the exam?
Better yet, does the patient have an option to review with the radiologist?
Does the patient feel like they’ve received the best exam possible at an optimized/safe radiation dose?

35. Patient-centered Radiology
The components:
Billing
Scheduling
Registration
PATIENT-CENTERED
EXPERIENCE
Results
Reporting
Reception
Caregiver
Interactions

36. Results Reporting
Perhaps the most attractive area of opportunity for radiologists
With the appropriate information technology, patients should be able to walk out of the office with a copy of the report
Provide a cloud server image sharing service so patients can easily access and share images online
Make results electronically available and text or call patients when their report is ready

37. Results Reporting For Referring Clinicians:
Offer embedded images in the report
Provide a results notification system so that referring clinicians know immediately when their patients’ imaging results are available
Be readily available for questions regarding the results of a study

38. Patient-centered Radiology
The components:
Billing
Scheduling
Registration
PATIENT-CENTERED
EXPERIENCE
Results
Reporting
Reception
Caregiver
Interactions

39. Billing
Notify patients of out-of-pocket expenses at time of scheduling
Accuracy of billing is a critical factor in becoming a high-performing, patient centered imaging center
Provide transparent pricing, as patients (healthcare consumers) will pay attention to price

40. Resources

41.
Radiologist resource for patient-centered care
Access to related scientific and consumer media articles and videos
Available customizable presentation decks

42. Caring Quilt: Messages from Our Patients
Illustrates radiology’s impact on patient care by highlighting patients’ expressions of appreciation for the radiology professionals who went above-and-beyond in caring for them.

43. An Available Quality Patient Communication Resource:
Descriptions of over 200 procedures, exams and disease topics covering diagnostic and interventional radiology, nuclear medicine, radiation therapy and radiation safety
Reassures patients and saves physician time
Free, credible radiology information in easy-to-understand language
Tells your patients what to expect
Reviewed by radiologists (RSNA and ACR)
Available in both English and Spanish

44. “Success breeds persistence bordering on perseveration in what we do well despite very obvious threats, at the expense of adaptability and innovation. Innovation requires a conscious, purposeful search for opportunities.”
Michael Brant-Zawadzki, M.D., and Robert Kerlan Jr., M.D Academic Radiology. 2009

45. Promote And Practice Patient-Centered Radiology

46. Patient-centered Radiology Presentation Contributors
Mary C. Mahoney, M.D.
Matt Hawkins, M.D.
Philip O. Alderson, M.D.
Michael Brant-Zawadzki, M.D.
Marcy A. Brown, A.R.R.T
Carol M. Rumack, M.D.
Eric J. Stern, M.D.
Joseph H. Tashjian, M.D.
Susan D. John, M.D.
Harvey L. Neiman, M.D.