Subspecialty Teleradiology
Program for Academic Institutions

2024-2025 Case Study

Background

A large academic health system maintains a broad academic and community footprint throughout its region, including strategic partnerships with regional cancer centers and affiliated hospital systems.

Amid increasing imaging volumes and faculty attrition the health system reached a critical tipping point in its Neuroradiology department in Q2 of 2025. The department’s need to prioritize inpatient and emergency department (ED) studies, created delays in Subspecialty outpatient imaging. At its peak, the outpatient Neuro backlog extended over 30 days.

Challenges Identified

Growing imaging volumes across academic and community sites.
Faculty attrition and burnout in high-demand subspecialties.
A 30-day backlog in outpatient Neuro imaging studies.
Turnaround times (TAT) exceeding acceptable internal metrics (target ≤24 hours).
Rising workload in Musculoskeletal (MSK) and Pediatric Radiology, creating concern for future strain.
Need for a scalable, flexible staffing model to prevent recurrence.

Strategic Approach

The academic health system engaged BT Health as a partner to rapidly deploy subspecialty coverage and stabilize key service lines. The initiative focused on providing immediate support to Neuro while proactively building capacity in other areas of growing concern: MSK and Pediatrics.

Key Actions:

Rapid Team Assembly: Within two weeks, BT Health assembled and onboarded Neuroradiology and MSK physician team.
Targeted Backlog Reduction: BT’s Neuro subspecialists prioritized high-acuity and cancer-related outpatient studies to accelerate throughput.
Performance Optimization: Established clear TAT goals (≤24 hours) and processes for same-day reads on urgent studies.
Proactive Departmental Support: MSK and Pediatric radiology teams were supplemented with additional BT Health coverage to relieve existing faculty and prevent burnout.

Results & Impact

TAT Restored: Achieved and maintained a 24-hour turnaround time or less, including same-day completion for prioritized cases.

Enhanced Recruitment: The health system successfully onboarded additional full-time Neuro faculty, ensuring long-term departmental stability.

Stabilized Department: Improved workload balance increased faculty satisfaction and made the Neuro department more attractive for permanent candidates.

Broader Coverage Model: MSK and Pediatric divisions received proactive coverage, reducing strain on existing teams.

Backlog Eliminated: The Neuro backlog was cleared within 60 days of go-live.

Current Focus

The health system continues to leverage BT Health as a long-term strategic partner. The institution is adopting a flex-based teleradiology model, allowing leadership to scale coverage efficiently across key departments as volume demands shift. Additionally, the institution is now positioned to pursue new growth opportunities, including expanded subspecialty services and clinical partnerships, with confidence in its operational stability and access to immediate, high-quality physician support.

Conclusion

BT Health’s partnership with a large academic health system demonstrates the impact of rapid deployment teams. Adaptive teleradiology solutions can quickly restore performance metrics and faculty engagement. With the addition of BT’s physician extension team, the institution now has a clear path for sustainable service line growth over the coming years.

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Subspecialty Teleradiology Program for Academic Institutions