No world-class radiology residency program ever attained its excellence without securing and sustaining department-wide buy-in on the criticality of teaching the next generation of radiologists. Clinical care and research don’t need to be de-emphasized in any way, but every faculty member in the department must be committed to teaching while sincerely appreciating the value of the residency program in ensuring the present and future health of the profession.

For small rural hospitals such as McCurtain Memorial Hospital in Idabel, Okla., an on-staff radiologist is a luxury. After losing its single in-house radiologist, the facility floated between several different teleradiology providers before finally landing on vRad—largely due to vRad’s strong breast health portfolio.

The radiology job market has had its fair share of ups and downs, as one can see by simply scanning the last 15 years of data from Merritt Hawkins, a popular physician search firm. In 2003, radiology was the No. 1 most requested search assignment at Merritt Hawkins. 

Once considered some of the most contractually stable and fiscally secure practitioners in all of U.S. medicine, radiologists are today concerned about their very future—and more than a few are right to be worried. From nosediving reimbursement to successive consolidation, from constantly expanding technologies to fitfully pinballing policymaking, the pressures have been varied and unrelenting for years now. What’s more, the pace of change is even now only accelerating. How best to rise to this moment with realistic hopes of emerging stronger than ever?

On Jan. 30, MEDNAX announced the acquisition of Radiology Alliance, the largest private practice radiology group in Tennessee. With this acquisition, MEDNAX officially entered the world of onsite radiology. Shannon Werb, president and COO of vRad, a MEDNAX company, spoke with imagingBiz about this announcement and what it means for MEDNAX, vRad and other private practice radiology groups throughout the country.

When national health solutions partner MEDNAX, Inc., announced the acquisition of vRad in May 2015, radiology market watchers wondered where the 50-state teleradiology giant would fit under its new parent’s umbrella. What led to MEDNAX’s interest in radiology? And, to get even more specific, why teleradiology?

Radiology Alliance, Tennessee’s largest private practice radiology group, wasn’t necessarily looking for an acquisition or a merger, but when national health solutions partner MEDNAX reached out, it was an opportunity they had to consider. 

Breast-imaging patients and the radiologic technologists who serve them have long wished for a breast radiologist to be there for them—on call or already present—whenever questions or concerns arise in the exam room.