Value-Based Assessment of Radiology Reporting Using Radiologist-Referring Physician Two-Way Feedback System—a Design Thinking-Based Approach

Abstract

In the era of value-based healthcare, many aspects of medical care are being measured and assessed to improve quality and reduce costs. Radiology adds enormously to health care costs and is under pressure to adopt a more efficient system that incorporates essential metrics to assess its value and impact on outcomes. Most current systems tie radiologists’ incentives and evaluations to RVU-based productivity metrics and peer-review-based quality metrics. In a new potential model, a radiologist’s performance will have to increasingly depend on a number of parameters that define “value,” beginning with peer review metrics that include referrer satisfaction and feedback from radiologists to the referring physician that evaluates the potency and validity of clinical information provided for a given study. These new dimensions of value measurement will directly impact the cascade of further medical management. We share our continued experience with this project that had two components: RESP (Referrer Evaluation System Pilot) and FRACI (Feedback from Radiologist Addressing Confounding Issues), which were introduced to the clinical radiology workflow in order to capture referrer-based and radiologist-based feedback on radiology reporting. We also share our insight into the principles of design thinking as applied in its planning and execution.