ACR asks its members: What do your patients value?
On the American College of Radiology’s Voice of Radiology blog, Melissa Chen, MD, announced plans to build on last year’s survey of patient attitudes toward imaging. ACR will begin to develop a new survey to help define exactly what patients value when interacting with medical imaging professionals.
Chen—the new chair of the ACR Commission on Patient- and Family-Centered Care (CPFCC) Economics Committee—hopes the new initiative will build on the 2017 survey, which reached three major conclusions:
- Patients understand the importance of the imaging procedure and the radiologist’s interpretation.
- Patients know what a radiologist does, even if most will not interact with one.
- The potential positive outcome from an imaging procedure is more important than out-of-pocket costs, total costs and billing process.
Perhaps surprisingly so, patients understand the importance of imaging and radiologists, according to Chen. The industry’s challenge is encouraging more interaction.
“In today’s environment, we’ve seen the positive benefits of this in practice among radiologists who discuss biopsy results directly with patients in breast imaging centers,” she wrote. “In these settings, whether in person or over the phone, the radiologist helps navigate patients with breast cancer through the system, by referring them to a breast surgeon, managing the surveillance of certain biopsy results and reducing uncertainty by answering questions.”
Improving patient care is one thing. Reimbursement is another. As healthcare continues its transition to value-based care, radiologists need to show how increased patient interaction will improve outcomes and contain costs.
“[P]roviding this added value to our patients is paramount if we are ever going to be able to achieve reimbursement,” Chen wrote. “Why? Because it helps drive business towards the practice, both because patients may be bearing more of the cost, and because the practice can differentiate itself in a way that helps to secure and maintain hospital and insurance contracts and strengthen referring provider relationships.”
The ACR CPFCC will conduct a survey of patients to develop metrics that can be used in Merit-based Incentive Payment System (MIPS) or advanced alternative payment models. The initiative—to be led by Amy Patel, MD, vice chair on the ACR PFCC Economics Committee—will focus on breast cancer patients, who frequently interact with radiologists. It will aim to answer two questions:
- Do radiologist-patient encounters take place in your practice? If not, what are some barriers you face to doing so?
- What have patients told you they value most about your interactions?
Nicholas joined TriMed in 2016 as the managing editor of the Chicago office. After receiving his master’s from Roosevelt University, he worked in various writing/editing roles for magazines ranging in topic from billiards to metallurgy. Currently on Chicago’s north side, Nicholas keeps busy by running, reading and talking to his two cats.