(Radiology. 1999;211:592.)
© RSNA, 1999
Efficiency in Academic Radiology Departments
Seymour Sprayregen, MD,
E. Stephen Amis, Jr, MD,
Ellen L. Wolf, MD and
Richard Alaimo, BS
1 Department of Radiology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine and Montefiore Medical Center, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, NY 10467
Editor:
We read with great interest the article by Dr Seltzer and colleagues (1) in the November 1998 issue of Radiology regarding the ability of academic radiology departments to respond to market pressures to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Dr Seltzer and colleagues, while perhaps not intending to do so, sent a mixed message. On the one hand, they stated, "Academic radiology departments have proved that they `can do more with less' over a sustained period" and "We believe that [our] data contradict the commonly held belief that . . . academic radiology departments cannot respond to market forces and become less expensive and more productive." On the other hand, they stated, "it appears that, on a statistical basis, the major driver toward productivity improvements is not a result of any deliberate intervention, but rather is due to the substantial growth in [relative value units] per examination." They also stated that cost reductions were achieved primarily by combining the purchasing power of two large hospitals.
In the April 1998 issue of the American Journal of Roentgenology (2), we described the reengineering of a radiology department in an academic institution. It is clear that our interventions led to decreased labor and nonlabor costs to the hospital, with a decreased cost per examination, increased efficiency in performing examinations, an improved quality of examinations, increased professional charge capture, decreased report turnaround time, and an improved perception of the department by referring physicians (2).
References
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Seltzer SE, Saini S, Bramson RT, et al. Can academic radiology departments become more efficient and cost less?. Radiology 1998; 209:405-410.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
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Sprayregen S, Amis ES, Jr, Wolf EL, Alaimo R. Reengineering a radiology department in an academic institution. AJR 1998; 170:851-857.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
