We all prefer to give our business to people we know and trust. Whether it is an auto mechanic, a home contractor, or a dry cleaner, we like to entrust our affairs to those individuals we know personally and who have done a good job for us before.
“Know and Trust”
The information technology revolution has made many of us more efficient. For radiologists, the move from hard copy films to digital images has enabled us to provide care in a more timely fashion. We no longer have to send radiologists to the images; now we can send the images to a radiologist. But most improvements in information technology yield unexpected results. One of the initially unexpected results of transmitting images electronically is the rise of “nighthawk” radiology services.
The “nighthawks” are entrepreneurial companies that employ radiologists to read studies performed remotely. Many radiology groups across the country send their off-hours studies to companies providing these services, often thousands of miles away or in other countries. This is particularly attractive to small radiology groups with a low volume of off-hours studies. For small groups like these, it is not efficient to keep one radiologist awake at night for a small workload.
Although eliminating night call would be attractive to any physician, Quantum believes that this is not the right option for us. Sending images to unknown radiologists who are unfamiliar with our medical community, who are not on hospital committees, and who do not know the referring doctors, seems like bad care. In short, “nighthawk” arrangements do not meet our know and trust” test. At a time when many radiology practices in Georgia and across the country are turning to the “nighthawks,” we have chosen to provide our own internal 24/7coverage every day of the year. We take pride in the fact that Quantum is always here for our patients and the medical community.
To contact Quantum to speak to a radiologist, please call 404-939-7291. For more information about Quantum Radiology, visit www.quantumradiology.com.
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