Interventional radiology group inks 3 more urology practice partnerships across 3 states

An interventional radiology group continues to ink partnerships with urologists, recently adding three more deals across the same number of states. 

IR Centers, a platform company dedicated to offering minimally invasive procedures in diverse outpatient settings, is teaming with doc groups in Alabama, Texas and Virginia. Urology practices have increasingly looked to add prostate artery embolization after the American Urological Association updated its clinical guidelines to endorse the procedure in 2023. 

The treatment involves guiding a catheter through an artery to inject tiny particles that block the blood flow to an enlarged prostate, causing it to shrink. Falls Church, Virginia-based IR Centers has partnered with urology groups to help them offer the service, often managing their outpatient centers and handling billing. 

In the latest expansion, IR Centers is collaborating with Richmond-based Virginia Urology to bolster interventional radiology options in the state’s central region. 

“Our partnership with Virginia Urology strengthens access to advanced, minimally invasive care and expands our mission to deliver innovative, high-quality IR services across the country,” Sandeep Bagla, MD, an interventional radiologist and CEO of IR Centers, said in a Dec. 10 announcement.

With the partnership, Virginia Urology is integrating an advanced IR program into its service lines. The new IR Centers team-up will bring “cutting edge” embolization therapies, advanced imaging protocols and standardized clinical pathways, those involved noted. Patients who previously relied on referral networks or tertiary centers will now benefit from integrated access within Virginia Urology, “allowing for coordinated diagnosis, treatment and follow-up in a streamlined outpatient environment.” 

Along with treating enlarged prostates, the new IR program will offer minimally invasive procedures for chronic pelvic pain, hemorrhoidal disease, musculoskeletal ailments, and certain vascular disorders. Virginia Urology said partnering will help it tap IR Centers’ expertise in large-scale integration, clinical standardization and rapid deployment. The interventional group also has a national quality program that provides continuous oversight, real-time data analytics, benchmarking, and radiation safety optimization. 

“Bringing advanced, minimally invasive therapies directly into our practice strengthens our ability to meet patient needs, enhances regional access, and reflects our dedication to innovation and comprehensive care,” Leigh Sewell, CEO of Virginia Urology, said in a statement. 

Meanwhile, IR Centers is similarly working with Urology Associates of Mobile, Alabama, and Rio Grande Urology in El Paso, Texas. The interventional radiology group estimates it now operates in over 25 markets through such partnerships with 40-plus locations. Earlier this year, Dr. Bagla and colleagues also expanded the model to include orthopedic and gastroenterology practices. In a recent job posting, IR Centers said it has a team of approximately 40 interventional radiologists, with leaders looking to add docs at locations spanning several states. 

Some interventional radiologists have expressed concern about the IR Centers’ partnership model. Adam Lustig, MD, a Virginia-based interventional specialist, said he worries radiologists are losing lucrative embolization procedures to other specialties, leaving them with little left on their plate. 

“There is no ‘partnering’ going on with this model,” Lustig told Radiology Business in March. “This model is taking clinical decision-making and control of patients out of the hands of independent interventional radiologists, undermining the specialty, and reducing interventional radiologists to nothing more than ... technicians, employed by nonradiology and noninterventional radiology practices.”

Bagla—who also leads the related Prostate Centers USA, the “network partner” of IR Centers—has disputed claims such partnerships harm the specialty. He contends the model increases IRs’ value while expanding the overall population they can impact.