Hospital system’s physician group adds imaging services by acquiring 40-year-old radiology practice
A Western New York hospital system’s multispecialty physician group is adding imaging services by acquiring a 40-year-old radiology practice.
Seton Imaging and its two locations are now part of Trinity Medical WNY, the latter announced on Tuesday. Founded in 1984, the sold practice had employed four or so physicians and was one of the areas longest established imaging groups, according to an archived version of its now-removed website.
Trinity Medical WNY—an affiliate of six-hospital, Buffalo-based Catholic Health—employs about 200 physicians in primary care and other specialties. With the addition, docs across Trinity, Catholic Health and Catholic Medical Partners (CMP) can now “order a wide variety of outpatient imaging studies directly through Epic, keeping services in-network.”
“With over four decades of service in Erie and Niagara counties, Seton Imaging is a trusted provider in the local medical community,” Trinity Medical WNY said in a blog post shared Aug. 26. “Its skilled and dedicated team will work closely with CMP’s referring physicians to deliver safe, high-quality diagnostic imaging services.”
CMP is a membership organization comprised of Catholic Health System and its hospitals’ docs, altogether representing nearly 1,000 physicians. Buffalo Business First initially reported news of the deal on Wednesday, noting that the sides have declined to disclose financial terms. Seton Imaging had served approximately 32,700 patients and was among the region’s largest medical imaging providers (at No. 12), according to the trade publication’s own rankings. Catholic Health, meanwhile, was most recently No. 3, serving 420,397 imaging patients.
Seton Imaging’s outpatient centers in Amherst and Tonawanda, New York, will now become part of Trinity Health WNY. Dane Franklin, Catholic Health System’s director of imaging services, will oversee operations for Trinity’s radiology wing, which also includes a third location in West Seneca. Meanwhile, radiologist Scott Cholewinski, MD, Seton Imaging’s president and CEO will remain with the practice as site supervisor, with around 30 other employees transitioning to the new organization. Janine Janik, CFO at Seton Imaging, also is staying on as practice administrator, while Dane Franklin will oversee operations as system director for imaging services and radiology.
The radiology practice had partnered with Catholic Health System for decades, also providing on-site services at Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Tonawanda, until 2017, according to Buffalo Business First. Since then, the hospital has operated its own on-site radiology department. Seton Imaging and Trinity Health WNY did not immediately respond to a Radiology Business request for comment Wednesday. The latter is a “captive professional corporation,” owned by physicians but controlled by Catholic Health. It tallied revenue of $55.7 million in 2023, according to Buffalo Business First.
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.