Wake Radiology joins independent practice coalition, announces key physician’s retirement
Wake Radiology is joining a growing coalition of independent imaging groups, and it is also announcing the retirement of one of its 60-plus physicians.
Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, and founded in 1953, the practice is the 40th to join Strategic Radiology and seventh in the state. Wake Radiology UNC REX Healthcare is the oldest and largest outpatient imaging group in the Research Triangle, which includes Raleigh, Durham and Chapel Hill.
“Quality has always been, and will continue to be, our hallmark, reflecting our unwavering commitment to excellence in all aspects of our services,” Brent Townsend, MD, president and managing partner of Wake Radiology, said in an Aug. 8 announcement. “We look forward to joining this community of like-minded physicians and practice executives and to sharing, collaborating, and working together to improve the value of all of our services.”
The practice has 14 locations providing comprehensive diagnostic imaging services including MRI, CT, X-ray, ultrasound and mammography. Wake Radiology also recently made the news in May after employees raised a total of $124,425 toward finding a cure for breast cancer.
“We are thrilled to grow our coalition with the highly subspecialized independent private practice Wake Radiology,” Scott Bundy, MD, CEO and chair of Strategic Radiology, said in a statement.
Wake radiologist retires
Meanwhile, Wake Radiology on Aug. 1 also announced the retirement of a longtime practice member.
Body imaging specialist G. Glenn Coates, MD, spent the last 28 years of his career at Wake, joining the practice in 1996. His achievements included modernizing liver MRI, designing all-body scan protocols and performing the first contrast-enhanced MR angiography, cardiac MRI and 3D magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography exams in Raleigh.
“I am forever grateful for the friendships I developed with my staff at Wake Radiology’s Raleigh MRI Center,” Coates said in a separate announcement. “The administration realized the value in staffing me at RMRI center full time, where I was fortunate to witness so much growth, development, accomplishment and expertise. We are truly a family, and I will miss you all so much.”
Coates also developed Wake Radiology’s breast MRI program, helped launch its cardiac CT angiography services and has served as director/administrator of the Raleigh MRI Center for 20 years. He trained in medicine at the University of California, Irvine, and is a member of numerous professional associations including the North Carolina Radiological Society.
“Dr. Coates’ remarkable career at Wake Radiology can be summed up in one word—leadership,” Townsend said in the announcement. “We are so fortunate to have had a visionary leader on our team who championed innovative, new technologies, and designed new protocols to better serve our patients and advance the field of radiology.”
Here is the full list of Strategic Radiology member groups:
- Advanced Radiology Services, Grand Rapids, Mich.
- ARA Health Specialists, Asheville, N.C.
- Carolina Radiology Associates, Myrtle Beach, S.C.
- Casper Medical Imaging and Outpatient Radiology, Casper, Wyo.
- Catawba Radiology Associates, Hickory, N.C.
- Chesapeake Medical Imaging, Annapolis, Md.
- Delaney Radiology; Wilmington, N.C.
- Gaston Radiology; Gastonia, N.C.
- The Hill Medical Corporation, Pasadena, Calif.
- Hot Springs Radiology Services, Hot Springs, Ark.
- Huron Valley Radiology, a division of Advanced Imaging Alliance; Ann Arbor, Mich.
- IntelliRad Imaging, Miami.
- Intercity Radiology, Bozeman, Mont.
- Mecklenburg Radiology Associates, Charlotte, N.C.
- Mountain Medical Physician Specialists, Salt Lake City.
- Naugatuck Valley Radiological Associates, a division of Advanced Imaging Alliance, Waterbury, Conn.
- Northwest Radiologists, Bellingham, Wash.
- Northwest Radiology, Indianapolis.
- Pacific Imaging Associates, Portland, Ore.
- Quantum Radiology, Atlanta.
- Radiologic Medical Services, Iowa City, Iowa.
- Radiology Associates, Corpus Christi, Texas.
- Radiology Associates, Jeffersonville, Ind.
- Radiology Associates, Eugene, Ore.
- Radiology Associates of Albuquerque, N.M.
- Radiology Associates of Macon, Ga.
- Radiology Associates of North Texas, Dallas.
- Radiology Associates of Richmond, Va.
- Radiology Associates of Tallahassee, Fla.
- Riverside Radiology Medical Group, Riverside, Calif.
- Regional Diagnostic Radiology, Sartell, Minn.
- Rome Radiology Group, Rome, Ga.
- Skagit Radiology, Mount Vernon, Wash.
- Southern Radiology Consultants, Baton Rouge, La.
- Summit Radiology, Fort Wayne, Ind.
- Tower Imaging Medical Group, Santa Monica, Calif.
- Triad Radiology Associates, Winston-Salem, N.C.
- United Imaging Consultants, Mission, Kan.
- Wake Radiology, Raleigh, N.C.
- X-Ray Consultants, a division of Advanced Imaging Alliance, South Bend, Ind.
Marty Stempniak has covered healthcare since 2012, with his byline appearing in the American Hospital Association's member magazine, Modern Healthcare and McKnight's. Prior to that, he wrote about village government and local business for his hometown newspaper in Oak Park, Illinois. He won a Peter Lisagor and Gold EXCEL awards in 2017 for his coverage of the opioid epidemic.