One of the biggest determiners of positive patient outcomes is the time it takes from the first onset of symptoms or the infliction of an injury to receiving definitive treatment, and anything that costs a medical department time could put patients at risk.
A common term in emergency services is the golden hour; this is the rule of thumb that anyone who is seriously injured or has an illness severe enough to require emergency care must receive it within 60 minutes of first noticing symptoms to avoid potentially permanent damage or even death.
This makes capacity a vital part of the treatment pathway for an accident and emergency department, but it is not always available for specialists such as radiographers. Here are five ways outsourcing can reduce stress on operational capacity.
Reduces Waiting Times
At a basic level, outsourcing increases the amount of radiography capacity there is in an area, meaning that more scans can be undertaken and examined, allowing patients to receive a diagnosis and the care they need sooner.
Allows For Out Of Hours Radiology
CT Scans, X-rays and MRIs are needed 24 hours a day, not just during the standard opening hours of a radiography department, so outsourcing allows for patients to receive diagnoses potentially at any time of day or night.
Access For Rural Areas
Not every hospital has a large radiography department, given the sheer cost of MRI machines and CT scanners, so outsourcing can provide specialist services to patients who otherwise might have to travel miles for diagnosis and treatment.
Greater Focus On Core Care
If the radiography is outsourced, it allows the existing staff to focus on caring for patients, and with fast turnaround times for diagnoses, this could enable better patient outcomes.
Scales Up And Down To Meet Demand
The need for all diagnostic services varies depending on the time, day and season, but outsourcing is a far easier way to scale with demand than building new diagnostic centres and mothballing them if they are not needed.