Operations Assessment
Outpatient Imaging Strategy
Strategy Planning
Retreat Facilitation
Operational Change: Implementation Support
Billing Management
Marketing Services
Interventional Radiology
“Turf Battle” Negotiations
Radiologist Workload Analysis
Peer Review Program
Contract Review – Hospital and Radiology Group




Operations Assessment

RCG conducts operational audits and recommends operating models that leverage your department’s valuable human and capital resources. Our team of specialists immerse themselves in your organization’s operations and collaborate with you to develop unique, highly leveraged solutions specifically designed to achieve the goals of your organization.

Although the specific operational issues facing each radiology department are unique, RCG strives to achieve four major goals in all operational re-engineering engagements:

Maximize the efficiency of human resources
Leverage these resources to determine appropriate staffing levels, workflow, roles and responsibilities.

Create a workplace that promotes employee satisfaction
In this competitive market, operational re-engineering must enhance the quality of work-life, improving the factors that influence employee retention and recruitment.

Leverage Technology and Capital Resources
RCG is committed to identifying ways in which technology can cost-effectively improve your operations. The RCG team works with your organization to demonstrate the potential value of new technology where appropriate.

Develop a patient-centered, clinically appropriate process
All RCG recommendations are put under review by our clinical staff to ensure overall appropriateness. RCG recommendations will lead to improved appointment access, reduced patient wait times and access to final reports and exam images, while improving the overall level of service satisfaction for both referring physicians and patients

The RCG team uses a data driven approach and the application of best practices to isolate failure points and create opportunities for improvement in the following areas:

• Process Flow
  
• Staffing
  
• Productivity
  
• Management Practices
  
• Equipment Utilization
  
• Space Layout and Design
  

Outpatient Imaging Strategy

RCG can help your organization re-stake your claim in outpatient imaging.  We provide a critical, objective assessment of the internal and external factors hindering your organization’s competitive advantage.

Comprehensive Review

• Operational Challenges
  
• Service Perception
  
• Understanding the Competition
  

Developing Solutions

• Strategies for success
  
• Customer-focused care: patients and referrers
  
• Tactical planning
  

Our solutions are developed to leverage your strengths and overcome your specific operational and market constraints.  We have a track record of success in helping clients in highly competitive outpatient environments to improve their positioning and increase their outpatient imaging volume.



Strategy Planning

RCG’s goal is to ensure you a leadership position for imaging services in your service area, now and in the future. We work collaboratively with your team to provide recommendations that are aligned with the mission and vision of your organization and clinical trends in the practice of Radiology.

RCG provides you with the informed perspective necessary to address challenging questions such as:

• How should we prioritize to meet demand in the short term?
  
• How do we grow our modalities to meet demand?
  
• How do we plan our space and location to accommodate the growth strategy?
  
• How do we maintain our competitive edge?
  

Services Include:

• Capital Planning and Acquisition
  
• Business Plan Development
  
• Organizational Design
  
• Space Planning and Expansion
  
• Demand Forecasting
  
• Feasibility Studies
  
• Mergers and Acquisitions
  
• Strategic Alliances
  
• Imaging Center Development
  

Team: RCG Expertise, Client Leadership

• Audit of Operations
  
• Capital Planning: Technology & Facilities Assessment
  
• Market Opportunities
  
• New Technologies Readiness Assessment
  
• Strategic Plan
  

Retreat Facilitation

RCG will work with your team to organize and conduct a departmental strategic retreat. RCG services can include, but are not limited to the following:

• Pre-retreat surveys of referring physicians, staff and/or patients
  
• Agenda development
  
• Production of resource materials
  
• Meeting facilitation
  

Jumpstart development of a strategic plan; align stakeholders for a unified plan for the future
RCG’s retreat facilitation is customized for your needs and situation, whether you are a hospital-based radiology department looking for a five-year plan or an independent radiologist group practice grappling with priorities and strategic direction.



Operational Change: Implementation Support

Sometimes organizations need to turn to external expertise, particularly in light of leadership vacancies and/or the daunting nature of paradigm shifts in patient care and workflow that are inherent to operations improvement initiatives.

RCG offers On-site and Off-Site Expertise and Project Management
Our strength is in our ability to provide an experienced professional to manage the operational change process with access to a full range of experts for triage and support in workflow, IT, finance, training, etc.

In providing operations implementation support to clients, our goals are to:

• Implement needed changes,
  
• Identify and mentor potential leaders within your department, and
  
• Establish practices that are sustainable after completion of the project.
  

Billing Management

RCG provides specialized revenue operations review and re-engineering services. The goal of these reviews is to maximize success of billing and revenue capture for the organization by evaluating the current workflow and processes surrounding the revenue capture and billing processes.

The RCG philosophy regarding revenue operations is to ensure the capture of information accurately and efficiently the first time. This principle put into action significantly reduces the administrative burden of an organization and drives revenue collection.

RCG evaluates all aspects of the revenue cycle and then provides detailed and tactical plans to help facilitate the necessary operational changes:

In-depth Evaluation

• Encountering (registration and demographic information)
  
• Charge capture (charge master review, CPT and ICD-9 coding)
  
• Billing (claims generation)
  
• Follow up (rejection and opportunity analysis)
  

If your goal is:

• Increased revenue
  
• Reduced days in accounts receivable
  
• Decreased administrative costs
  

RCG can help.



Marketing Services

The key to success in today’s competitive market for radiology services is development and operationalization of a sound marketing strategy. Simply providing quality care and service is not enough. Whether you are a radiology practice, an imaging center, or a hospital department of radiology, you must proactively market your services.

The RCG team of marketing specialists can help you develop and implement a marketing strategy that is aligned with the mission and values of your organization and will position you to successfully compete in the marketplace. Specific areas of expertise include the following:

Market Assessment – Assess your position in the market

• Portfolio Analysis
  
• Competitor Analysis
  
• Physician Profile
  
• Position Mapping
  
• Environmental Assessment
  

Strategic Planning – Build your game plan

• Branding your Radiology Services
  
• Designing the Organizational Structure
  
• Building and Strengthening Relationships with the Referring Physician Community
  

Tactical Planning – Execute the plan

• Educating the sales representatives
  
• Developing effective marketing collateral
  
• Optimizing marketing team resources
  
• Gaining visibility in the community
  
• Improving the service provided to the referring physicians
  
• Strengthening the links between operational staff and marketing and clinical staff and marketing
  
• Keeping local media current on new and interesting procedures and services
  

Additional Marketing Services

• Training
  Providing team and individualized training sessions on marketing strategies in radiology. For marketing staff new to radiology, RCG provides an overview of radiology and each of the modalities.
  
  
• Radiology Web Site Development
  Crafting a website that is educational, useful for the referral community, user friendly, and effective in promoting your services.
  
  
• Monitoring / Evaluation
  Designing and deploying a system for tracking the referral base, referring patterns, and the overall success of marketing initiatives.
  

Interventional Radiology

Interventional Procedures is a rapidly expanding area of Radiology. The high cost of non-stock supplies, coding and compliance issues, and required resources create special challenges for managing a profitable and clinically effective operation. RCG works with clients to successfully overcome these challenges.

The team promotes the concept of continuity and efficiency of care throughout the Interventional Radiology process and can provide support in any or all of the following components in the continuum:

• Services
  Determination of services to provide and the human and capital required.
  
  
• Supplies
  Accurate, cost-effective, and streamlined tracking of supplies.
  
  
• Resources
  Efficient utilization of nursing, technologists, radiologists, anesthesiologists, equipment and procedure rooms.
  
  
• Intake
  Coordination and accuracy in patient evaluation, scheduling, coding, and preparation of patients.
  
  
• Patient Throughput
  Workflow design that facilitates the delivery of care and promotes patient focused care.
  
  
• Quality Assurance
  Effective use of case managers.
  Management of patient records and encounters.
  
  
• Billing
  Accurate, compliant and timely billing process.
  

“Turf Battle” Negotiations

As physician specialties continue to evolve and with advances in imaging technologies, it is inevitable that the boundary lines between specialties will become blurred.  A prime example is cardiology and radiology.  Radiologists are now able to perform such high reimbursement procedures as cardiac CTA as well as interventional cardiac procedures less invasively. Conversely, it is not uncommon for cardiologists to obtain their own imaging equipment to handle these types of procedures. Both groups feel qualified to perform these procedures, and typically neither group is willing to give up its ground. Allowing this situation get out of control can result in lost referrals and admissions. It is the responsibility of hospital administrators to prevent this feud from brewing.

RCG can help your hospital navigate the competitive landscape and strategically address the turf battles. We’ve worked with hospitals across the country to develop strategies of collaboration.  This nationwide experience has enabled us to develop viable solutions your organization can embrace.



Radiologist Workload Analysis

Measuring radiologist productivity is a complicated endeavor but one that is vital to successfully managing a radiology practice. The RCG will measure your radiology group’s workload utilizing RBRVS (Resource Based Relative Value Scale) methodology and national benchmarking data and help you address the following:

• How do the workloads compare by:
  • Subspecialty peer groups
    
  • Location
    
  • National standards
    
• What is the capacity of your current staff?
  

Peer Review Program

A formal quality assurance program is an integral component of a high quality radiology service. As part of your organization’s quality assurance initiative, RCG can conduct and/or facilitate peer reviews.

The RCG team of radiologists offers the following services:

• Subspecialty review of a random sampling of films
  
• Radiology report analysis
  • Appropriateness
    
  • Grammar
    
  • Diagnosis / Impression
    
  • Consistency
    
  • Format errors
    
  • Resource utilization
    
  • Spelling
    
• On-Site radiologist interviews and assessment
  

Contract Review

Is your radiologists – hospital contract equitable and in line with current standards and trends in the industry? Providing perspectives from both radiologists and business managers, the RCG will review the contract and provide advice on areas including, but not limited to the following:

• Non-Compete/Exclusivity Arrangements
  
• Compensation
  
• Business Arrangement
  
  • profit-sharing
    
  • bonus structure
    
• Performance Standards
  
• On-Site Requirements and Staffing
  

The RCG team will work to guide you toward the development of a contract that is mutually satisfying to both the radiologists and the organization.