MDNews - San Antonio

specialize in body imaging oversee and interpret this valuable study. This comprehensive service line is viable due to the experience and exper- tise of STRG's physicians. In fact, STRG currently employs more than 60 board- certified radiologists, many of whom are fellowship-trained in subspecialties, such as abdominal/body imaging, breast, cardiac, musculoskeletal, neuroradiology, pediatric, nuclear medicine and interven- tional radiology. "Specia lt y imag ing tests a re read and interpreted by a radiologist who subspecializes in the associated field," says James Gilley, MD, musculoskeletal radiologist, former Medica l Director of STRIC and former Vice President of STRG. "Traditionally, whoever the radiologist was on-site at the imaging center at the time read the study. Now, we can have imaging for patients with Alzheimer's disease read by a neuro spe- cialist and imaging for athletic injuries read by a musculoskeletal radiologist. With the use of a picture archiving and communication system (PACS), radiologists can easily consult other radiology specialists. "Having such convenient access to an expansive network of radiologists makes us better at what we do and allows us to consult electronica lly with each other on difficult cases, resulting in better care of our patients," Dr. Golden says. "We needed a system where, if the patient arrived at the hospital for an appointment and then showed up at an imaging center a week later, all of his or her information would be accessible at both places under the same name. It sounds trivial today, but back in the early 2000s, no one was able to do that. We talked to multiple vendors, but not one was able to create a system that combined all that information together in a single database. Eventually, we found a way to accomplish our goal through our own radiology information system, and it was a huge success among referring physicians." PACS is an important tool for the referring physician. STRIC offers PACS XERO, which is easily accessed via a secure website using a network user ID and password and can be viewed on a PC or a mobile device. "It is important for referring physicians to have access to patient images and reports at their fingertips, in the operating room, or anywhere," Dr. Golden says. STRIC implemented PACS in 2004 as CT technology advanced from single detector to multidetector technology, resulting in more slices, or images, and making it difficult to review using film. "CT and the advancement of other imaging technology was a key driver in our decision to move forward, not to mention the efficiency gains and cost savings by moving off film," Dr. Golden says. "For example, with the newer CT technolog y that was coming out, we basically went from 25 images viewed on hard copy film to viewing thousands of images on a monitor, all of which could be instantly reprocessed to better visualize bone, soft tissues, vessels or any other structures in various planes. Reading on PACS was a necessity, but it also allowed us to have a virtual practice that we still enjoy today." A HISTORY OF BEING FIRST Since the beginning, STRIC's leadership and radiologists have collaborated to ensure that diagnostic imaging equipment remained in step with advancements in the field of radiolog y where it made sense in an outpatient setting. "One of STR IC's key streng ths is that g row th is loca lly driven," says Gary Woodard, CEO of STRIC. "Many imaging companies make technolog y decisions based on price or group purchasing decisions that are removed from the community they serve. At STRIC, those decisions are made collaboratively with our administrative team and the loca l radiologists who have yea rs of subspecia lty experience a nd understa nd the needs of the patients and physicians in our community." For example, STRIC was one of the first outpatient imaging centers in San Antonio to offer a new PET/CT with "time of flight " technolog y. PET/CT is widely used for diagnosis and staging of cancer. STRIC was also the first outpatient, private practice in the Sa n A ntonio a rea to purchase 3 Tesla (3T) MRI technolog y. " This MR I is double the streng th of a traditiona l MR I a nd produces clea rer images of a patient 's orga ns, spine, blood vessels and soft tissues," Dr. Gilley says. "STRIC uses 3T MRI for a va riety of studies, including imaging of the prostate a nd intricate ca r tilage. STR IC was the f irst to offer stereotactic David Golden, MD James Gilley, MD Gary Woodard, CEO of STRIC M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S S A N A N T O N I O ■ 2 019 0 7

• Cover