The Radiologist Will See You Now: Patients’ Perceptions of an Outpatient Interventional Clinic

Procedural Impact of a Dedicated Interventional Oncology Service Line in a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center

“…Comparatively, volumes in the 5% Medicare LDS remained relatively flat in this 2-year interval, suggesting that our growth exceeded national trends in vascular IO procedures. Other reports have focused on the value of tumor boards or clinics for patient care, as well as utilization of physician extenders in practice [10–17]. We report integration of these components into a fully operational IO service that collaboratively discusses patient treatment options and manages care from initial consultation through follow-up.…”

“…Lutjeboer et al evaluated the effects of clinic on a wide range of IR procedures and reported reductions in rescheduled procedures, as well as increased safety and patient satisfaction [14]. Patients value the opportunity to discuss complex procedures in the IR clinic [10]. Other focused radiology clinics have reported improved patient outcomes, such as a dedicated inferior vena cava filter clinic significantly increasing retrieval rates [20].…”

“…By the day of the procedure, patients are familiar with the treating physician and other IO staff. The continuity of care increases patient confidence and comfort, particularly in the quaternary care, teaching hospital setting [10,14]. Our fellows have dedicated time on the IO service to get an in-depth opportunity to participate in both clinic and tumor board.…”

Customer Service in Radiology: Satisfying Your Patients and Referrers

“…As the practice of radiology has changed, there has been a greater emphasis on making the patient the primary customer. Some of these changes include opening a radiology clinic so that patients can discuss upcoming imaging studies or recent results with radiologists, providing layperson translations of radiology reports, and offering patients easier access to their imaging results (6)(7)(8)(9)(10)(11)(12)(13)(14).…”

Interventional Oncology Service Development

“…When fully integrated into a practice, these physician extenders may become the patient's primary contact and advocate, which can increase patient confidence, comfort, and satisfaction. [34][35][36] Practice Building and Promotion…”