by David G. Imber, special to DOTmed News
Practices in 37 states and six countries have embraced the services of RCG HealthCare Consulting, a not-for-profit enterprise owned by Radiology Associates at Massachusetts General Hospital. In 1998, Mass General, an academic hospital, undertook the largest and most ambitious PACS program in North America. At the time, PACS represented a wholesale shift in the way work was organized and appropriated, and naturally such a massive implementation represented a fundamental change in the center's workflow. Its success, however, was renowned throughout the profession, and soon other radiology divisions and independent professionals globally were studying its methodologies.

Massachusetts General represented a uniquely conducive setting for the creation of a consultancy. The software programmers, quality management professionals and operations engineers were in place to assess the practice's workflow and recommend improvements. Recommendations were made, results charted, records catalogued. At the same time, technology was advancing, with new devices that were faster and more highly functional. Yet despite the speed and efficiency that this technology was offering, those who used it still relied on traditional workflow and resource models.


Today RCG provides management and IT consulting services, including physician productivity analyses, that rely on a data trove ten years in development. Their clientele comprises 80% hospitals and 20% radiology practices. Over this period Medicare/Medicaid requirements have become more stringent, budget reduction has led to greatly reduced work forces and capital outlays. Most recently the overall decline in the economy has forced practices to streamline their operations to the limit, while doing everything possible not to impact negatively the quality of patient care. Holding the reins Maintaining quality, while growing revenues and containing costs is a formidable task for any practice simply trying to stay on top of day-to-day operations.

Regional Manager Pamela Harlem told DOTmed News about the newest RCG offerings on the horizon, web-based applications that will complement their existing services. "One reason radiology directors need to examine productivity is to determine strategically how they should be staffing, compensating the physicians and so on. At the same time we're rolling out a benchmarking tool for operations. There are going to be certain areas for improvement, others where they have strength. This will allow them to make decisions based upon our databases, collected over ten years." The third product being rolled out in the coming year providespeer review, which Ms. Harlem feels is of crucial importance, as there's no natural, internal equivalent for the kind of objectivity this service can provide.

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