Teleradiology in a Large Radiology Practice

Abstract

The large number of teleradiology products and features may confuse radiologists who are considering the incorporation of this technology into their practice. It is important that practice patterns and needs be evaluated prior to specification and acquisition of a teleradiology system. An appropriate beginning for this decision concerns whether the system will be utilized for primary diagnosis rather than consultation or image review. For instance, teaching or consultation at a remote location may demand realtime interactions to be of use while on-call or overreading coverage from a remote location could be performed with batch image transmission and remote interpretation without person-to-person interaction. The needs of the radiology practice determine the hardware and software requirements of a teleradiology system. We shall outline three general modes of practice before summarizing our clinical evaluations.