Comments on: The growing trend of nighthawk radiologists http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/06/growing-trend-of-nighthawk.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 17:18:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/06/growing-trend-of-nighthawk.html#comment-63863 Anonymous Wed, 07 Jun 2006 04:49:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/06/the-growing-trend-of-nighthawk-radiologists.html#comment-63863 righto<br/>Once the medical/legal issue gets worked out I would not want to be a non-interventional radiologist. You guys 10 years from now may be looking at today as the last days of the gravy train era. Why pay for you guys when you can get a similar read for 1/5-1/10 the cost. Believe me CMS WILL be looking at this issue. Each year they pick a field to screw over. Last year it was onc. Who do you think it will be this year? righto
Once the medical/legal issue gets worked out I would not want to be a non-interventional radiologist. You guys 10 years from now may be looking at today as the last days of the gravy train era. Why pay for you guys when you can get a similar read for 1/5-1/10 the cost. Believe me CMS WILL be looking at this issue. Each year they pick a field to screw over. Last year it was onc. Who do you think it will be this year?

]]> By: jbhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/06/growing-trend-of-nighthawk.html#comment-63854 jb Tue, 06 Jun 2006 17:03:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/06/the-growing-trend-of-nighthawk-radiologists.html#comment-63854 Instead of performing a test I have always offered the radiologist the option of coming down and writing on the chart that "_____________ fill in the blank does not exist and an imaging study is not necessary" example: pulmonary embolus, ICH, AAA, brain tumor, ruptured ectopic, trauma etc....... <br/><br/>In ten years I have had no takers. A helpful radiologist might suggest a different approach or type of imaging study. <br/><br/>If a radiologist does not get the clinical history that he/she wants then they should call and ask for it, demand it in the ordering process, teach the tech to get that info, etc...... Whining and groaning in the dark won't help<br/><br/>Overworked radiology residents often come out of residency with some cynicysm thinking that "only a positive test is an indicated test". That thinking just does not work in todays medical-legal environment. If I were a radiologist I would not complain at all about doing "unnecessary" tests. Of any specialty yours is the only one that could be easily outsourced. Nihthawk is just a beginning of the possibilities. Bangalore? Bombay? New Delhi? Instead of performing a test I have always offered the radiologist the option of coming down and writing on the chart that “_____________ fill in the blank does not exist and an imaging study is not necessary” example: pulmonary embolus, ICH, AAA, brain tumor, ruptured ectopic, trauma etc…….

In ten years I have had no takers. A helpful radiologist might suggest a different approach or type of imaging study.

If a radiologist does not get the clinical history that he/she wants then they should call and ask for it, demand it in the ordering process, teach the tech to get that info, etc…… Whining and groaning in the dark won’t help

Overworked radiology residents often come out of residency with some cynicysm thinking that “only a positive test is an indicated test”. That thinking just does not work in todays medical-legal environment. If I were a radiologist I would not complain at all about doing “unnecessary” tests. Of any specialty yours is the only one that could be easily outsourced. Nihthawk is just a beginning of the possibilities. Bangalore? Bombay? New Delhi?

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/06/growing-trend-of-nighthawk.html#comment-63838 Anonymous Tue, 06 Jun 2006 12:27:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/06/the-growing-trend-of-nighthawk-radiologists.html#comment-63838 My radiology group went to a nighthawk system after years of ever-increasing abuse from ER docs ordering every inappropriate test imaginable (actually the lazy bastards had their incompetent nurses doing most of the ordering) and giving no useful clinical history. The quality of our hired nighthawk readings is nowhere as good as my group's readings but they're getting what they deserve for abusing the ordering process. My radiology group went to a nighthawk system after years of ever-increasing abuse from ER docs ordering every inappropriate test imaginable (actually the lazy bastards had their incompetent nurses doing most of the ordering) and giving no useful clinical history. The quality of our hired nighthawk readings is nowhere as good as my group’s readings but they’re getting what they deserve for abusing the ordering process.

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/06/growing-trend-of-nighthawk.html#comment-63831 Anonymous Tue, 06 Jun 2006 03:29:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/06/the-growing-trend-of-nighthawk-radiologists.html#comment-63831 Just from a limited personal note. I am an ER doc and our radiology group uses a night service (not Nighthawk). They are definately not as good as our day radiologists. They have made some very significant misreads with great clinical significance (about 5 in 2 years that I am aware of) Just from a limited personal note. I am an ER doc and our radiology group uses a night service (not Nighthawk). They are definately not as good as our day radiologists. They have made some very significant misreads with great clinical significance (about 5 in 2 years that I am aware of)

]]> By: Anonymoushttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2006/06/growing-trend-of-nighthawk.html#comment-63826 Anonymous Tue, 06 Jun 2006 01:35:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2006/06/the-growing-trend-of-nighthawk-radiologists.html#comment-63826 It's easy to make a diagnosis half a world away when the last line in your consultation is always "clinical correlation required". It’s easy to make a diagnosis half a world away when the last line in your consultation is always “clinical correlation required”.

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