1 00:00:02,240 --> 00:00:04,400 Hi, everyone. This is Lucas Voss with Becker's 2 00:00:04,400 --> 00:00:06,240 Healthcare. Thanks so much for tuning in to 3 00:00:06,240 --> 00:00:08,639 the Becker's Healthcare podcast series. It's great to 4 00:00:08,639 --> 00:00:11,539 have you. Today, we're talking about scaling outpatient 5 00:00:11,679 --> 00:00:14,595 care, lessons and access, workforce, and advocacy. 6 00:00:14,974 --> 00:00:17,714 And joining me for today's discussion are three 7 00:00:17,774 --> 00:00:18,274 fantastic 8 00:00:18,574 --> 00:00:22,414 guests. First, Carl Galloway, chief operating officer at 9 00:00:22,414 --> 00:00:25,135 Wake Radiology, and we're also joined by doctor 10 00:00:25,135 --> 00:00:28,410 Brent Townsend, president and managing partner also at 11 00:00:28,410 --> 00:00:29,309 Wake Radiology 12 00:00:29,689 --> 00:00:30,509 and a pediatric 13 00:00:30,890 --> 00:00:33,689 radiologist. And rounding out the conversation is Jason 14 00:00:33,689 --> 00:00:36,329 Weschler. He's the vice president of outpatient solutions 15 00:00:36,329 --> 00:00:38,729 at Siemens Health and Ears. Thank you all 16 00:00:38,729 --> 00:00:40,489 for being here today. It's so great to 17 00:00:40,489 --> 00:00:42,215 have you. We have a ton to discuss, 18 00:00:42,515 --> 00:00:44,295 so I wanna hop right into 19 00:00:45,075 --> 00:00:45,895 the conversation. 20 00:00:47,155 --> 00:00:50,435 As we're seeing demand continuing to shift into 21 00:00:50,435 --> 00:00:53,335 outpatient settings, I'd love to know 22 00:00:54,130 --> 00:00:57,989 where you're seeing the most persistent access bottlenecks 23 00:00:58,049 --> 00:01:00,629 today. And, again, we're talking about geography, scheduling 24 00:01:00,689 --> 00:01:03,170 capacity, staffing, referral process, all of these different 25 00:01:03,170 --> 00:01:04,390 factors, very complex. 26 00:01:04,849 --> 00:01:06,069 And which of those 27 00:01:06,530 --> 00:01:07,590 is proving 28 00:01:08,129 --> 00:01:08,629 hardest 29 00:01:09,494 --> 00:01:12,295 to solve at scale? Doctor Townsend, I'd love 30 00:01:12,295 --> 00:01:13,435 to start off with you. 31 00:01:13,894 --> 00:01:16,614 Well, thanks, and thanks for having us here. 32 00:01:17,174 --> 00:01:20,134 For me, as president and managing partner, the 33 00:01:20,134 --> 00:01:22,715 biggest bottleneck remains the shortage of radiologists 34 00:01:23,094 --> 00:01:25,109 relative to the growth in the volume of 35 00:01:25,109 --> 00:01:25,609 work. 36 00:01:26,310 --> 00:01:28,310 Here at Wake Radiology, we have been fortunate 37 00:01:28,310 --> 00:01:30,069 enough to be able to recruit due to 38 00:01:30,069 --> 00:01:30,969 several advantages, 39 00:01:31,670 --> 00:01:32,569 practice stability, 40 00:01:33,030 --> 00:01:35,349 our reputation for quality, our location here in 41 00:01:35,349 --> 00:01:36,890 the Triangle Of North Carolina, 42 00:01:37,424 --> 00:01:39,905 good relationships with two excellent training programs in 43 00:01:39,905 --> 00:01:41,524 our backyard in Duke and UNC. 44 00:01:41,984 --> 00:01:44,384 And that recruiting success has allowed us to 45 00:01:44,384 --> 00:01:46,004 handle our organic growth 46 00:01:46,305 --> 00:01:49,045 while maintaining quality and short turnaround times. 47 00:01:49,390 --> 00:01:51,230 However, in order to achieve our goals of 48 00:01:51,230 --> 00:01:52,689 expanding even further 49 00:01:53,069 --> 00:01:55,569 and providing even more access to our patients, 50 00:01:55,710 --> 00:01:57,469 we need to be able to recruit even 51 00:01:57,469 --> 00:01:57,969 more. 52 00:01:58,750 --> 00:02:01,890 Paul, from your perspective as chief operating officer, 53 00:02:02,030 --> 00:02:03,409 what does this look like? 54 00:02:04,015 --> 00:02:05,875 I'd say from an operational standpoint, 55 00:02:06,254 --> 00:02:08,655 one of our main bottlenecks has been the 56 00:02:08,655 --> 00:02:10,354 technology shortage in our market. 57 00:02:11,055 --> 00:02:11,875 We are 58 00:02:12,254 --> 00:02:14,655 in one of the fastest growing areas in 59 00:02:14,655 --> 00:02:15,235 the country. 60 00:02:15,694 --> 00:02:17,875 We have several large health systems 61 00:02:18,520 --> 00:02:21,800 as well as other outpatient imaging providers, so 62 00:02:21,800 --> 00:02:24,060 we find ourselves competing for the same 63 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:26,460 kind of smaller talent pool. 64 00:02:27,000 --> 00:02:28,699 So what we've tried to do, 65 00:02:29,159 --> 00:02:29,979 as an organization 66 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:31,819 is focus on internal 67 00:02:32,125 --> 00:02:34,224 workforce development. We've been cross training 68 00:02:34,604 --> 00:02:35,425 our technologists, 69 00:02:36,205 --> 00:02:37,664 across multiple modalities. 70 00:02:38,444 --> 00:02:39,185 We've also, 71 00:02:39,805 --> 00:02:42,525 been very collaborative with our local community college 72 00:02:42,525 --> 00:02:43,025 programs 73 00:02:43,324 --> 00:02:44,144 to offer 74 00:02:44,879 --> 00:02:46,500 student technologist positions, 75 00:02:47,199 --> 00:02:47,699 apprenticeships, 76 00:02:48,319 --> 00:02:48,819 internships, 77 00:02:50,080 --> 00:02:52,340 hoping to build a sustainable 78 00:02:52,719 --> 00:02:54,500 pipeline of some future technologists. 79 00:02:55,280 --> 00:02:56,900 And while we're seeing some 80 00:02:57,985 --> 00:03:00,564 incremental positive outcomes from these efforts. 81 00:03:01,344 --> 00:03:03,685 The demand, the volume that we're, 82 00:03:04,224 --> 00:03:06,784 experiencing, it's been very difficult to meet the 83 00:03:06,784 --> 00:03:07,685 staffing challenges. 84 00:03:09,025 --> 00:03:11,344 Jason, is this something that you're seeing nationwide? 85 00:03:11,344 --> 00:03:13,319 I'm assuming these are trends that you've heard 86 00:03:13,319 --> 00:03:15,560 about quite a bit and you're familiar with. 87 00:03:15,560 --> 00:03:18,360 But, again, from where you're sitting too, what 88 00:03:18,360 --> 00:03:20,439 does this look like? Are these familiar trends 89 00:03:20,439 --> 00:03:21,340 that you're seeing? 90 00:03:21,800 --> 00:03:24,199 So glad to be here. And absolutely, we 91 00:03:24,199 --> 00:03:26,385 are seeing these trends across the country. There's 92 00:03:26,385 --> 00:03:28,245 certainly some regional differences. 93 00:03:28,705 --> 00:03:29,205 Mhmm. 94 00:03:29,745 --> 00:03:31,425 But one of the key things we also 95 00:03:31,425 --> 00:03:32,564 know is that 96 00:03:33,185 --> 00:03:35,265 the best outcomes for patients are tied to 97 00:03:35,265 --> 00:03:37,765 being able to to get access to 98 00:03:38,390 --> 00:03:40,390 these appointments in a timely manner in their 99 00:03:40,390 --> 00:03:40,890 communities. 100 00:03:42,230 --> 00:03:45,270 And I think what both doctor Countsen and 101 00:03:45,270 --> 00:03:46,810 Carl have shared 102 00:03:48,150 --> 00:03:49,530 are representative trends. 103 00:03:50,165 --> 00:03:52,425 We're also seeing a need for technologies 104 00:03:52,965 --> 00:03:53,784 to help 105 00:03:54,165 --> 00:03:54,665 accelerate, 106 00:03:56,325 --> 00:03:58,665 care and availability, whether it's remote scanning 107 00:03:59,045 --> 00:03:59,545 and 108 00:04:00,245 --> 00:04:02,879 emulating. I think what Carl and the team 109 00:04:02,879 --> 00:04:05,360 at Wake Radiology are doing in terms of 110 00:04:05,360 --> 00:04:07,780 workforce development being another key theme. 111 00:04:08,639 --> 00:04:10,799 Carl, again, you've touched a little bit on 112 00:04:10,799 --> 00:04:12,560 the operational side of this and what this 113 00:04:12,560 --> 00:04:14,319 looks like from where you're sitting. Right? When 114 00:04:14,319 --> 00:04:16,019 you're looking at day to day operations, 115 00:04:16,800 --> 00:04:18,100 which is certainly crucial, 116 00:04:18,855 --> 00:04:21,574 when you're trying to expand access without simply 117 00:04:21,574 --> 00:04:24,235 adding cost, what are some of those operational 118 00:04:24,375 --> 00:04:28,074 or technology levers that you've seen really deliver 119 00:04:28,694 --> 00:04:30,475 the most meaningful results? 120 00:04:31,550 --> 00:04:33,410 I think this is a really important question, 121 00:04:33,870 --> 00:04:34,370 especially 122 00:04:34,910 --> 00:04:37,009 as we are in a county where, 123 00:04:37,790 --> 00:04:39,089 we're looking at 124 00:04:39,389 --> 00:04:41,410 our MRI certificate of need, 125 00:04:42,509 --> 00:04:44,931 going away in the fall this year. Certainly, 126 00:04:44,931 --> 00:04:45,644 the challenges are 127 00:04:45,944 --> 00:04:47,805 how do we scale up without, 128 00:04:49,384 --> 00:04:52,044 risk of increasing our cost. So 129 00:04:52,504 --> 00:04:53,725 our team has taken 130 00:04:54,185 --> 00:04:55,404 a creative approach. 131 00:04:55,785 --> 00:04:57,785 I would say some of the most effective 132 00:04:57,785 --> 00:04:59,004 changes we've made 133 00:04:59,430 --> 00:05:00,970 has been to implement 134 00:05:01,750 --> 00:05:04,310 flexible work shift models that's allowed us to 135 00:05:04,310 --> 00:05:07,830 better match staffing levels with patient volumes more 136 00:05:07,830 --> 00:05:11,670 efficiently. That's allowing for better access to care 137 00:05:11,670 --> 00:05:14,745 at different times. We're doing evening shifts. We're 138 00:05:14,745 --> 00:05:16,605 doing weekend. I think that's 139 00:05:17,064 --> 00:05:20,105 really helping as far as patient convenience, so 140 00:05:20,105 --> 00:05:21,085 that's been effective. 141 00:05:22,025 --> 00:05:24,824 We're using digital tools that were already available 142 00:05:24,824 --> 00:05:26,845 to us to reduce the administrative 143 00:05:27,225 --> 00:05:30,270 tasks that were previously handled by technologists, allowing 144 00:05:30,270 --> 00:05:32,910 them to focus more on patient care and 145 00:05:32,910 --> 00:05:33,810 patient experience. 146 00:05:34,670 --> 00:05:35,389 We've also, 147 00:05:36,350 --> 00:05:38,370 added internal support teams 148 00:05:38,670 --> 00:05:40,930 to allow for better patient throughput. 149 00:05:42,235 --> 00:05:44,154 And one area that we've really focused on 150 00:05:44,154 --> 00:05:48,314 recently is protocol management and modalities such as 151 00:05:48,314 --> 00:05:50,095 MRI, CT, and ultrasound. 152 00:05:50,875 --> 00:05:53,935 That's allowed us to reduce exam duration times. 153 00:05:54,529 --> 00:05:55,009 So, 154 00:05:55,490 --> 00:05:58,069 I think that has resulted in scanning efficiencies. 155 00:05:58,529 --> 00:06:01,250 All of these measures together have allowed us 156 00:06:01,250 --> 00:06:04,389 to increase our capacity and patient access 157 00:06:05,090 --> 00:06:07,189 without a significant increase in cost. 158 00:06:08,125 --> 00:06:09,964 And it also trickles down to the patient 159 00:06:09,964 --> 00:06:12,284 experience as you've mentioned. Right? It's shorter wait 160 00:06:12,284 --> 00:06:14,844 times. There's more access, which certainly helps the 161 00:06:14,844 --> 00:06:17,084 patient too. And and doctor Townsend, I I'd 162 00:06:17,084 --> 00:06:19,404 love to tap on your perspective here too. 163 00:06:19,404 --> 00:06:21,344 Right? As a practicing radiologist, 164 00:06:22,360 --> 00:06:24,300 certainly as a managing partner as well. 165 00:06:24,600 --> 00:06:26,919 How do you think about balancing the needs 166 00:06:26,919 --> 00:06:29,319 of patients, staff, and the organization? Again, when 167 00:06:29,319 --> 00:06:31,879 making those decisions about what workflows need to 168 00:06:31,879 --> 00:06:32,539 be redesigned, 169 00:06:33,079 --> 00:06:35,079 how do we support greater access, and and 170 00:06:35,079 --> 00:06:36,944 how do you balance all of this with 171 00:06:36,944 --> 00:06:39,605 making sure, okay, there's growth for the organization, 172 00:06:40,225 --> 00:06:43,125 but we're also hate having clinical quality? 173 00:06:44,225 --> 00:06:47,845 Well, that is, absolutely a a crucial question 174 00:06:47,904 --> 00:06:50,964 for all, health care practitioners to be answering 175 00:06:51,185 --> 00:06:51,685 nowadays. 176 00:06:52,519 --> 00:06:54,680 Because as you said, patient care and quality 177 00:06:54,680 --> 00:06:57,000 always have to come first. And, yes, it 178 00:06:57,000 --> 00:06:59,399 is challenging to balance that with the ever 179 00:06:59,399 --> 00:07:00,540 increasing expectations 180 00:07:00,920 --> 00:07:04,139 for patient access and for system wide productivity. 181 00:07:05,204 --> 00:07:07,524 On the radiologist side, there are a few 182 00:07:07,524 --> 00:07:09,524 things that we have done. We have been 183 00:07:09,524 --> 00:07:12,564 very intentional with our growth plan, not taking 184 00:07:12,564 --> 00:07:14,324 on more new work than we can reasonably 185 00:07:14,324 --> 00:07:14,824 handle. 186 00:07:15,204 --> 00:07:17,625 And we have set reasonable expectations for productivity 187 00:07:17,685 --> 00:07:19,910 from our radiologists, and then we help them 188 00:07:19,910 --> 00:07:21,529 achieve those goals with support. 189 00:07:21,990 --> 00:07:24,229 For example, we have reading room coordinators who 190 00:07:24,229 --> 00:07:26,229 can answer the phone and send messages to 191 00:07:26,229 --> 00:07:28,649 referring physicians, and that helps limit the interruptions 192 00:07:29,110 --> 00:07:30,649 in the radiologist workflow. 193 00:07:31,225 --> 00:07:33,805 We're using AI to help with the repetitive 194 00:07:34,105 --> 00:07:35,564 but necessary tasks. 195 00:07:36,185 --> 00:07:38,285 For example, if I'm going to compare 196 00:07:38,665 --> 00:07:40,584 a study to the study that was done 197 00:07:40,584 --> 00:07:42,745 three months ago or a year ago, one 198 00:07:42,745 --> 00:07:44,319 of the things that has to be done 199 00:07:44,319 --> 00:07:46,160 is that we line up the studies correctly 200 00:07:46,160 --> 00:07:47,840 so that I can make a direct comparison 201 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:49,600 of the liver on one image to the 202 00:07:49,600 --> 00:07:51,680 liver in the prior image. And we have 203 00:07:51,680 --> 00:07:53,360 AI tools that can help us do that 204 00:07:53,360 --> 00:07:53,860 automatically. 205 00:07:54,400 --> 00:07:56,400 Also, we're using AI tools that can help 206 00:07:56,400 --> 00:07:58,980 us with report correction and impression generation. 207 00:07:59,914 --> 00:08:01,995 And by removing some of these tasks from 208 00:08:01,995 --> 00:08:03,375 the radiologist's plate, 209 00:08:03,834 --> 00:08:06,154 that allows us to spend more time actually 210 00:08:06,154 --> 00:08:08,394 interpreting the images, which is what we can 211 00:08:08,394 --> 00:08:10,235 do to make the most difference in the 212 00:08:10,235 --> 00:08:11,134 patient's lives. 213 00:08:11,754 --> 00:08:15,055 And lastly, we are aggressively addressing burnout 214 00:08:15,539 --> 00:08:17,240 by looking at work life balance. 215 00:08:17,699 --> 00:08:20,819 We are prioritizing giving radiologists protective time off 216 00:08:20,819 --> 00:08:23,720 before and after call weekends, help them recover, 217 00:08:24,339 --> 00:08:26,339 and we have provided home workstations for all 218 00:08:26,339 --> 00:08:26,839 radiologists. 219 00:08:27,555 --> 00:08:29,634 This allows them to read remotely or outside 220 00:08:29,634 --> 00:08:32,054 of typical work hours, which gives them flexibility 221 00:08:32,115 --> 00:08:34,134 and some autonomy, which really helps 222 00:08:34,514 --> 00:08:36,355 reduce some of that stress level from the 223 00:08:36,355 --> 00:08:37,894 increasing productivity demands. 224 00:08:38,914 --> 00:08:40,434 Yeah. I love that you've highlighted that because, 225 00:08:40,434 --> 00:08:43,789 again, less stress, the more radiologists can focus 226 00:08:43,789 --> 00:08:45,709 on the patient and provide that better patient 227 00:08:45,709 --> 00:08:47,250 experience, which is so crucial. 228 00:08:48,190 --> 00:08:48,690 Jason, 229 00:08:49,070 --> 00:08:51,709 working with providers across the country and certainly 230 00:08:51,709 --> 00:08:53,009 what we've just heard, 231 00:08:53,470 --> 00:08:56,049 what separates organizations that successfully 232 00:08:56,574 --> 00:08:57,875 scale outpatient care 233 00:08:58,254 --> 00:09:01,054 from those, again, that still struggle despite making 234 00:09:01,054 --> 00:09:03,634 investments in new sites or even new equipment? 235 00:09:05,054 --> 00:09:07,054 So I think what we're seeing across the 236 00:09:07,054 --> 00:09:10,309 country are the successful programs, be it independent 237 00:09:10,450 --> 00:09:12,950 practices or large health systems, 238 00:09:13,730 --> 00:09:15,429 have a few common ingredients. 239 00:09:16,370 --> 00:09:18,610 They take time to really plan out what 240 00:09:18,610 --> 00:09:21,090 the needs are. So they understand their markets, 241 00:09:21,090 --> 00:09:21,750 their communities, 242 00:09:23,254 --> 00:09:23,995 And that's 243 00:09:24,375 --> 00:09:26,455 providing for a good patient experience, but also 244 00:09:26,455 --> 00:09:28,855 thinking about what are the referral patterns, what 245 00:09:28,855 --> 00:09:31,914 are the community health, population health patterns 246 00:09:32,455 --> 00:09:34,214 so that the right services could be aligned 247 00:09:34,214 --> 00:09:35,514 with the community needs. 248 00:09:35,919 --> 00:09:38,879 They're paying attention as both doctor Townsend and 249 00:09:38,879 --> 00:09:41,279 Parl have said about what is the right 250 00:09:41,279 --> 00:09:42,899 scale, what is the right workflow, 251 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:44,980 making sure that the equipment 252 00:09:45,440 --> 00:09:48,995 they're bringing in isn't necessarily at the same, 253 00:09:49,695 --> 00:09:51,855 set of bells and whistles a health system 254 00:09:51,855 --> 00:09:53,235 or a hospital might have. 255 00:09:53,934 --> 00:09:56,095 We're really focused on the key procedures they 256 00:09:56,095 --> 00:09:56,595 need 257 00:09:56,975 --> 00:09:59,215 so that they're maximizing the value for the 258 00:09:59,215 --> 00:10:01,475 patients and the community they're engaged with. 259 00:10:02,309 --> 00:10:04,490 And it's looking at the technologies available. 260 00:10:04,870 --> 00:10:07,450 So we've heard about burnout workflow, 261 00:10:09,110 --> 00:10:11,910 staff efficiency. So how you leverage different AI 262 00:10:11,910 --> 00:10:13,930 tools, different workflows and protocols, 263 00:10:15,355 --> 00:10:16,174 different acceleration 264 00:10:16,475 --> 00:10:19,835 softwares on systems to really become very efficient 265 00:10:19,835 --> 00:10:20,815 and very consistent 266 00:10:21,595 --> 00:10:23,835 so that you're given the best outcomes for 267 00:10:23,835 --> 00:10:26,174 your patients, which gives them the best experience, 268 00:10:27,379 --> 00:10:30,200 all become key factors to being a successful 269 00:10:30,899 --> 00:10:31,799 growing outpatient 270 00:10:32,419 --> 00:10:32,919 group. 271 00:10:33,700 --> 00:10:36,740 Yeah. Technology really becomes the enabler here for 272 00:10:36,740 --> 00:10:39,139 all of the processes that we've highlighted throughout 273 00:10:39,139 --> 00:10:39,879 our conversation. 274 00:10:40,664 --> 00:10:43,065 I wanna shift our focus a little bit 275 00:10:43,065 --> 00:10:44,125 to something that 276 00:10:44,985 --> 00:10:46,985 there might not be as much control over 277 00:10:46,985 --> 00:10:48,845 as some of the factors you've mentioned, 278 00:10:49,625 --> 00:10:51,404 across our conversation today. 279 00:10:51,784 --> 00:10:53,384 I'd love to talk a little bit about 280 00:10:53,384 --> 00:10:56,559 which policy or regulatory changes have and and 281 00:10:56,559 --> 00:10:57,379 can continue 282 00:10:58,159 --> 00:11:00,419 helping to accelerate that outpatient 283 00:11:01,200 --> 00:11:01,700 expansion. 284 00:11:02,399 --> 00:11:04,000 Paula, I'd love to start off with you 285 00:11:04,000 --> 00:11:04,820 on this one. 286 00:11:05,840 --> 00:11:08,580 Well, I can't speak to a specific policy, 287 00:11:08,639 --> 00:11:10,894 but I will say that we are seeing 288 00:11:10,894 --> 00:11:14,835 a trend where payers are encouraging health systems 289 00:11:15,535 --> 00:11:18,754 to move outpatient imaging out of their hospitals 290 00:11:19,215 --> 00:11:21,875 and into the community practices. 291 00:11:22,839 --> 00:11:25,480 I think that allows the hospital to better 292 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:28,200 manage inpatient care where their focus needs to 293 00:11:28,200 --> 00:11:30,460 be, and that's allowing us 294 00:11:31,080 --> 00:11:31,820 to also 295 00:11:32,519 --> 00:11:33,580 help and support 296 00:11:34,360 --> 00:11:35,339 patient care. 297 00:11:35,799 --> 00:11:36,299 And 298 00:11:36,945 --> 00:11:39,345 since we have a hospital partner, that has 299 00:11:39,345 --> 00:11:41,504 been a great measure of support for them. 300 00:11:41,504 --> 00:11:43,365 So I would say that 301 00:11:43,985 --> 00:11:45,585 that's where I see some of our role 302 00:11:45,585 --> 00:11:47,684 in some of the policy and regulatory changes. 303 00:11:48,144 --> 00:11:50,865 Yeah. Doctor Townsend, I'm assuming similar for you. 304 00:11:50,865 --> 00:11:52,644 What are you seeing there on that front? 305 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,799 I would exact I would echo exactly what 306 00:11:55,799 --> 00:11:57,159 miss Galloway just said. 307 00:11:57,960 --> 00:11:59,879 We have seen and has been proven that 308 00:11:59,879 --> 00:12:01,500 in appropriate patient populations, 309 00:12:02,200 --> 00:12:05,159 outpatient care is a more cost effective way 310 00:12:05,159 --> 00:12:07,875 to deliver care, and it provides greater patient 311 00:12:07,875 --> 00:12:08,375 satisfaction. 312 00:12:09,475 --> 00:12:13,075 I the payers recognize that. The patients recognize 313 00:12:13,075 --> 00:12:13,575 that. 314 00:12:13,955 --> 00:12:15,875 And we're seeing that in all specialties, not 315 00:12:15,875 --> 00:12:18,274 just radiology. So as the entire health care 316 00:12:18,274 --> 00:12:18,774 system 317 00:12:19,320 --> 00:12:21,399 looks to become more efficient, I do think 318 00:12:21,399 --> 00:12:24,040 we'll see more bifurcation where there are definitely 319 00:12:24,040 --> 00:12:25,960 some things that have to be done or 320 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:28,200 strongly encouraged to be done in the outpatient 321 00:12:28,200 --> 00:12:30,200 setting and some things that are, no, this 322 00:12:30,200 --> 00:12:31,660 is going to be done in the hospital. 323 00:12:31,804 --> 00:12:34,365 We're gonna see that trend continue. And as 324 00:12:34,365 --> 00:12:36,605 radiologists, we need to be prepared to serve 325 00:12:36,605 --> 00:12:37,424 both populations. 326 00:12:37,804 --> 00:12:39,644 You know, we have relationships. We have the 327 00:12:39,644 --> 00:12:40,944 outpatient imaging offices, 328 00:12:41,404 --> 00:12:42,384 but then we also 329 00:12:42,684 --> 00:12:45,105 service hospitals on the inpatient side as well. 330 00:12:45,164 --> 00:12:46,625 We wanna take care of the patients 331 00:12:46,950 --> 00:12:48,889 wherever the patients get their care. 332 00:12:49,590 --> 00:12:50,090 Jason, 333 00:12:50,790 --> 00:12:53,590 from where you're sitting, right, the conversations that 334 00:12:53,590 --> 00:12:55,190 you're having, what does this look like from 335 00:12:55,190 --> 00:12:57,429 a regulatory perspective? What are you paying close 336 00:12:57,429 --> 00:12:58,250 attention to? 337 00:12:59,269 --> 00:13:01,210 So so I'd say what we're seeing 338 00:13:01,625 --> 00:13:03,544 are and paying a lot of attention to 339 00:13:03,544 --> 00:13:05,565 are changes around certificate of need. 340 00:13:06,585 --> 00:13:09,065 So Paul mentioned that that's something they were 341 00:13:09,065 --> 00:13:11,004 looking at for one of their local MRs. 342 00:13:11,705 --> 00:13:14,024 And what we're seeing across the country is 343 00:13:14,024 --> 00:13:15,565 the state by state 344 00:13:16,480 --> 00:13:16,980 changes 345 00:13:18,080 --> 00:13:20,019 around requirements or limitations 346 00:13:20,399 --> 00:13:22,340 of adding new sites of care 347 00:13:22,799 --> 00:13:25,360 are evolving very quickly. Things like the inpatient 348 00:13:25,360 --> 00:13:27,460 only list are being phased out. 349 00:13:28,160 --> 00:13:29,940 And what that's doing is 350 00:13:30,785 --> 00:13:33,205 it has the potential to bring more access 351 00:13:33,745 --> 00:13:34,245 to 352 00:13:34,785 --> 00:13:36,804 patients and communities across the country. 353 00:13:37,504 --> 00:13:39,345 So we're watching it to make sure that 354 00:13:39,345 --> 00:13:40,245 we can support 355 00:13:42,545 --> 00:13:43,205 our customers, 356 00:13:43,665 --> 00:13:45,665 our clinicians who are really trying to bring 357 00:13:45,665 --> 00:13:46,404 back care 358 00:13:47,240 --> 00:13:49,559 with the right solutions that will help have 359 00:13:49,559 --> 00:13:52,139 sites up faster and delivering care sooner. 360 00:13:52,919 --> 00:13:54,360 It all comes back to being able to 361 00:13:54,360 --> 00:13:56,120 care better for the patient, being able to 362 00:13:56,120 --> 00:13:59,000 provide better care to communities across the country, 363 00:13:59,000 --> 00:13:59,980 which is so crucial. 364 00:14:00,754 --> 00:14:02,995 Paul, doctor Townsend and Jason, it's so fantastic 365 00:14:02,995 --> 00:14:04,375 to have you for this conversation. 366 00:14:04,754 --> 00:14:08,375 We've touched so much ground here today throughout 367 00:14:08,514 --> 00:14:10,674 our time together. I do wanna close this 368 00:14:10,674 --> 00:14:12,834 out with final takeaways from from what we've 369 00:14:12,834 --> 00:14:14,519 touched on or what you think is probably 370 00:14:14,519 --> 00:14:16,440 some of the most important pieces of our 371 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:16,940 conversation. 372 00:14:17,559 --> 00:14:19,800 Paula, I start off with you here. What 373 00:14:19,800 --> 00:14:22,379 will your final takeaway be from from today? 374 00:14:23,480 --> 00:14:25,720 I am encouraged by the fact that our 375 00:14:25,720 --> 00:14:26,220 conversation 376 00:14:26,679 --> 00:14:29,259 centers around patient experience and quality. 377 00:14:29,639 --> 00:14:31,375 I think those two two things have to 378 00:14:31,375 --> 00:14:33,214 be at top of mind in whatever we 379 00:14:33,214 --> 00:14:33,714 do. 380 00:14:34,654 --> 00:14:37,294 And I think that as we all think 381 00:14:37,294 --> 00:14:37,794 about 382 00:14:38,174 --> 00:14:40,914 our strategic planning for the next few years, 383 00:14:41,375 --> 00:14:42,595 making sure we're incorporating, 384 00:14:43,950 --> 00:14:45,330 ways that we can be flexible, 385 00:14:45,710 --> 00:14:46,850 allow for 386 00:14:47,230 --> 00:14:49,250 adjustments as we go because 387 00:14:49,790 --> 00:14:51,730 things are changing at a fast pace, 388 00:14:52,269 --> 00:14:54,190 and we need to be ready to tackle 389 00:14:54,190 --> 00:14:54,690 those 390 00:14:54,990 --> 00:14:55,889 as they come. 391 00:14:56,590 --> 00:14:57,490 Doctor Townsend? 392 00:14:58,485 --> 00:15:00,884 I would say, again, the only thing that's 393 00:15:00,884 --> 00:15:02,884 constant is change. So we have to be 394 00:15:02,884 --> 00:15:05,125 creative and innovative in how we meet the 395 00:15:05,125 --> 00:15:08,164 demands of patient access. We absolutely have to 396 00:15:08,164 --> 00:15:11,144 keep quality and patient care top of mind. 397 00:15:11,570 --> 00:15:13,409 And I think one thing that we will 398 00:15:13,409 --> 00:15:15,649 all need to do is be aware of 399 00:15:15,649 --> 00:15:18,289 and increase our involvement in local, state, and 400 00:15:18,289 --> 00:15:19,269 national conversations 401 00:15:19,889 --> 00:15:22,709 regarding patient care, remembering that we are 402 00:15:23,089 --> 00:15:23,589 physicians, 403 00:15:23,889 --> 00:15:26,450 administrators. We all have patient care in mind, 404 00:15:26,450 --> 00:15:28,615 so let's advocate for those patients. 405 00:15:28,995 --> 00:15:30,054 Yeah. Jason? 406 00:15:31,154 --> 00:15:31,975 I'm excited 407 00:15:32,434 --> 00:15:33,254 and optimistic 408 00:15:34,035 --> 00:15:36,835 when I look ahead. I mean, conversations like 409 00:15:36,835 --> 00:15:37,654 this where 410 00:15:38,274 --> 00:15:41,735 consistently we're talking about patient care, quality, 411 00:15:42,679 --> 00:15:43,179 access, 412 00:15:43,639 --> 00:15:44,139 flexibility. 413 00:15:45,399 --> 00:15:46,700 That's the future of health care. 414 00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:49,720 And for all of us, it's a personal 415 00:15:49,720 --> 00:15:52,200 topic. We all have loved ones who need 416 00:15:52,200 --> 00:15:52,700 care. 417 00:15:53,240 --> 00:15:56,600 So so for me, it's continuing to partner, 418 00:15:56,600 --> 00:15:57,259 to collaborate, 419 00:15:58,065 --> 00:15:58,565 to 420 00:15:59,184 --> 00:16:00,004 use technology 421 00:16:00,625 --> 00:16:01,845 as a way of augmenting 422 00:16:02,384 --> 00:16:05,205 and supporting clinicians and service delivery 423 00:16:05,665 --> 00:16:08,144 that lead to a lot of good today 424 00:16:08,144 --> 00:16:09,285 and down the road. 425 00:16:09,825 --> 00:16:10,325 Yeah. 426 00:16:11,029 --> 00:16:13,210 Well, Paul, doctor Townsend, Jason, 427 00:16:13,590 --> 00:16:16,070 again, thank you so much for being here 428 00:16:16,070 --> 00:16:18,149 today for sharing these insights. Again, we touched 429 00:16:18,149 --> 00:16:19,910 on so many different things. We also want 430 00:16:19,910 --> 00:16:22,230 to thank our podcast sponsors, Z Men's Health 431 00:16:22,230 --> 00:16:23,769 and Ears, for bringing us together 432 00:16:24,125 --> 00:16:25,184 for this conversation, 433 00:16:25,804 --> 00:16:27,565 and you can tune into more podcasts from 434 00:16:27,565 --> 00:16:30,125 Becker's Healthcare by visiting our podcast page at 435 00:16:30,125 --> 00:16:32,704 begrashospitalreview.com.