Increased virtual care adoption and mobile services
Mobile health clinics have been active in communities for quite some time. However, 2018 will usher in a new level of sophistication for these services. According to Mobile Health Map's latest impact report, there are approximately 2,000 clinics on wheels across the country providing services including primary care, preventive screening, disease management, behavioral health, dental care, prenatal care, and pediatric care.
Extremely cost efficient and effective at reaching underserved and vulnerable communities, mobile clinics with enhanced technology capabilities will further extend the spectrum of services. For example, earlier this year the Barrow Neurological Institute in Phoenix, Arizona unveiled a fully equipped mobile stroke unit which enables the medical team to evaluate, diagnose, and even start treatment before the patient arrives at the hospital. The specialized truck carries equipment such as mobile CT scanners that ambulances do not currently provide.
Diversity in radiology benefits patient care
With the rise of organizations such as RADxx supporting the advancement of women in radiology, the issue of diversity in the practice has come front and center this past year. Evolving consumer health care preferences mean radiologists are increasingly taking on more patient-facing responsibilities. With that shift comes the need for radiologists to represent the diverse populations they serve.
In a recent
Radiology Business article, Dr. Tessa S. Cook, Ph.D., assistant professor of radiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia noted the change, "patient and family-centered care is a very personal, a very non-technical interaction that all of us as radiologists are increasingly being challenged to do more of." Initiatives to improve diversity will continue to be an area of focus for the industry, with informatics offering new areas of specialization for emerging leaders.
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