How to choose a teleradiology provider

Before you compare

Providers can only be compared against the same scope. Write down the examinations and volumes, the hours in your time zone, how you define each priority, whether you need preliminary or final reports, and what stays onsite. The coverage planner produces exactly this as a one-page brief, and the scoping guide explains each decision.

Six areas to evaluate

1. 01

   Clinical fit and reader eligibility

   Every study should be read by someone licensed for the patient’s state, credentialed at your facility where required, and qualified for that examination.

   Questions to ask

   • Which readers could be assigned our studies, and how is each one matched to modality and body region?
   • How are state licensure and our credentialing requirements confirmed before a reader is assigned?
   • If breast imaging is in scope, how are MQSA interpreting-physician requirements documented, including DBT?

   Evidence to requestA description of the assignment rules and the credentialing documents your medical staff office or payer contracts require.

2. 02

   Coverage and continuity

   Coverage is a promise about hours, priorities and backup. It should be written down in the same terms you use internally.

   Questions to ask

   • Which hours, days and holidays are covered, in our time zone?
   • What happens when volume spikes or a reader is unavailable?
   • How are studies acquired near the end of a coverage window handled?

   Evidence to requestA coverage schedule in the draft agreement, and the backup arrangement for each window.

3. 03

   Communication and escalation

   The report is not finished until the right person knows about an urgent finding.

   Questions to ask

   • Who calls whom for urgent findings, and where is each call documented?
   • How are preliminary-to-final changes and addenda communicated to the treating team?
   • How do our technologists and referring clinicians reach a reader with a question?

   Evidence to requestA written escalation pathway and an example of how nonroutine communication is recorded.

4. 04

   Quality program

   Quality claims are easy to make. A buyer needs to see the process: how interpretations are reviewed, how discrepancies are handled and what the facility receives.

   Questions to ask

   • How are interpretations sampled for peer review, and how are discrepancies classified?
   • What feedback and reporting will our facility receive, and how often?
   • How is each service measure defined, including where the turnaround clock starts and stops?

   Evidence to requestWritten definitions of each service measure and a sample of the regular report you would receive.

5. 05

   Integration and information security

   Routing problems are a practical risk to address before go-live. Each flow needs an owner and a test.

   Questions to ask

   • How will images, orders, prior studies and reports move, and who owns each connection?
   • What testing happens before the first patient study, and who signs it off?
   • What security review and agreements are completed before protected health information is exchanged?

   Evidence to requestAn integration plan naming owners for each flow, a validation plan and the privacy agreements required for the arrangement.

6. 06

   Agreement and commercial terms

   A clear agreement protects both sides when volumes change or the relationship ends.

   Questions to ask

   • What drives the price: modality mix, priority, hours, integration work or minimum volumes?
   • What are the term, notice period and exit arrangements?
   • How will we retrieve signed reports and records after the agreement ends?

   Evidence to requestA draft agreement and fee schedule that use the same scope language as your coverage brief.

Warning signs

• No clear answer to who calls whom with an urgent finding.
• Turnaround quoted without saying where the clock starts and stops.
• No written process for changes between preliminary and final reports.
• Vague answers about licensure for your state or your credentialing requirements.
• Integration described as “plug and play”, with no test plan.
• An agreement that is silent on access to reports after it ends.

Comparison worksheet

Name up to three providers and rate each criterion as you gather answers. The worksheet stays in this browser tab; download or copy it to share with your team.

RADSTEAD RADIOLOGY | TELERADIOLOGY PROVIDER COMPARISON
Compared: Provider A, Provider B, Provider C

1. CLINICAL FIT AND READER ELIGIBILITY
- Readers are licensed for our state and can complete our credentialing
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked
- Qualifications are matched to each modality in scope, including breast imaging
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked

2. COVERAGE AND CONTINUITY
- Coverage windows and holiday handling are written into the agreement
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked
- Backup is defined for absences and volume spikes
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked

3. COMMUNICATION AND ESCALATION
- Urgent findings have a documented route to a named clinician
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked
- Preliminary-to-final changes and addenda have a clear notification process
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked

4. QUALITY PROGRAM
- Peer review and discrepancy handling are explained, with feedback to us
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked
- Service measures are defined precisely and reported regularly
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked

5. INTEGRATION AND INFORMATION SECURITY
- Image, order, prior and report routing is mapped with owners and tests
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked
- Privacy roles, security review and any required business associate agreement are settled before go-live
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked

6. AGREEMENT AND COMMERCIAL TERMS
- Term, notice and exit terms include access to reports afterwards
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked
- The pricing basis is explained against our scope
  Provider A: Not asked | Provider B: Not asked | Provider C: Not asked

SUMMARY
Provider A: 0 meet, 0 partly, 0 do not meet, 12 not yet asked
Provider B: 0 meet, 0 partly, 0 do not meet, 12 not yet asked
Provider C: 0 meet, 0 partly, 0 do not meet, 12 not yet asked

Business information only. Keep patient information out of this worksheet.
Prepared in the browser with the Radstead provider worksheet. Nothing was sent.

Questions about the process