Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/196089
Q&A S TEPHEN HoUFF, md, is Aris' new Executive Chairman of the Board. The founder and former President/ CEO of Hospitalists Management Group, Dr. Houff was at the forefront of the hospitalist movement 13 years ago. He sees Aris Teleradiology as being in a similar position — at the forefront of the hybrid radiology movement. In a recent interview, MD News sat down with Dr. Houff to discuss his venture into the world of hybrid radiology. Here's what he said. QA: First of all, why did you decide to join Aris? After a successful career in hospital medicine, I am now looking to help companies that have the right stuff grow and succeed. Aris is one such company. The company leaders are visionary and talented, and I think they're on the right path. But before I agreed to become the Executive Chairman, I did some due diligence. I evaluated the industry and identified Aris as the leader ... confirmed the value proposition for hospital clients, for referring physicians, for patients, and I was very impressed. I'm bullish on the company. I think it is a company that will thrive in the future because of the value it can provide. Q A: I think most people have heard of teleradiology, but not hybrid radiology. Do you agree? Yes, I do. There's a fundamental lack of insight about hybrid radiology. On the one hand, that's really exciting, because as far as I can tell, no other company has defined the space. So there's an opportunity for Aris to define the space. But it's not just an opportunity; it's an obligation if we're going to grow this company — to define hybrid radiology as something that's a cut above. The other challenge is that there isn't another company that's similarly successful in hybrid radiology. So the challenge with Aris is not only to get the word out about Aris, but also to educate customers about hybrid radiology. The promise, really, of the hybrid is that it's a better solution than teleradiology. Q Why is it better? Most, if not all, hospitals staff their own radiology departments or contract with a radiology group to staff it. A: If you're a 150-bed community hospital, there's a pretty good chance that you have five or six good general radiologists but no subspecialists. So you lose business. Pediatricians will refer their patients to the children's hospitals where there are pediatric radiologists, for example. And orthopedic surgeons will refer their patient to hospitals that have musculoskeletal radiologists. So there really are some market share benefits, as well as service benefits, to hospitals having subspecialty expertise. When Aris brings in their hybrid solution, they make sure there's the right number of radiologists on-site to provide service during the day. Then they add off-site teleradiologists to read the studies in the evenings and nights and during peak hours — and they're final readings, not preliminary readings, so it's more efficient. And they also provide fellowship-trained subspecialty radiologists who can do pediatric reads and MSK reads and neuro reads. The hybrid is an opportunity for hospitals to provide better care, more available care, a higher level of service. And it actually saves hospitals money. That's the promise of Aris' hybrid radiology program. NovEmBEr /dECEmBEr ■ mdNEWS.Com ■ MD News Cleveland/Akron/Canton | 19