Bigger in Texas: Merger may create the nation’s largest private radiology practice
A merger of three Texas radiology providers may create the largest imaging practice in the country, leaders claim.
Officials with 80-year-old, Fort Worth-based Radiology Associates of North Texas unveiled the merger on Thursday. They said both Tyler Radiology and East Texas Radiology Consultants, in Longview, are joining the firm, translating to 28 new physicians coming aboard.
This will expand RADNTX, as it’s called for short, up to more than 200 imaging physicians, making it one of the Lone Star State’s largest.
“TRA believes in independent, physician-led radiology practices. After evaluating several options, we are excited to have found a partner that shares our values and vision for healthcare in East Texas,” Robert Weissmann, MD, with the Tyler, Texas-based company, said in a statement. “We believe this partnership will strengthen our practice and allow us to meet the demands of our growing region and the ever-changing healthcare industry,” he added later.
RADNTX said both of its new partners decided on a merger after first participating in the company’s Independent Radiology Network, aimed at providing smaller practices with greater resources while remaining independent. Each on its own opted for the union after conducting a “comprehensive” evaluation of culture and infrastructure.
In addition, RADNTX noted that it was also recently picked as the exclusive imaging provider for Northwest Texas Healthcare System, in Amarillo. The institution operates a 495-bed acute care hospital and was designated by state department of health as the lead trauma facility for 26 counties across the Texas Panhandle, according to the announcement.
Radiology Business Journal last year labeled Lynwood, Washington-based Radia as the largest practice in the U.S., employing 205 full-time equivalent rads at the time. That’s just ahead of RADNTX at 174 in the No. 2 spot prior to the July 2 merger announcement. A spokeswoman said Thursday that the deal would put Radiology Associates over 200 rads, and officials believe, make them the “now the largest radiology private practice in the nation,” based on number of physicians.
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.