title: Benefits of integration of radiology services across a pediatric health care system with locations in multiple states.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Integration was implemented of previously independently practicing pediatric radiology services across a pediatric health care system with sites 1,000 miles apart.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this manuscript is to describe the process utilized to integrate imaging services across our enterprise and to study the direct effects on report turnaround time and other parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parameters were evaluated both the year before integration as well as the 2 years following integration and compared for improvement. Parameters studied included report turnaround time, academic productivity (as measured by peer review publications per year), and degree of sub-subspecialization within pediatric radiology (as measured by the percentage of neuroimaging CT and MRI studies read by pediatric neuroradiologists).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Comparing pre- to post-integration measures, the median report turnaround time decreased from 2.3 h to 1.1 h (52.1% improvement), the percentage of neuroimaging studies read by neuroimaging faculty increased from 15.0% to 86.6% (477% improvement), and peer review publication by calendar year increased from 3 to 30 (1,000% improvement). Other benefits included increased hours of in-house coverage and execution on multiple quality improvement efforts.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A pediatric health care system successfully integrated radiology services across multiple previously non-integrated locations into one functional group. This integration was associated with a positive effect on multiple parameters.
authors.affiliation: Nemours Foundation, Jacksonville, FL, USA, lane.donnelly@nemours.org.
authors.forename: Lane F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Donnelly
authors.forename: Debbie J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Merinbaum
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Epelman
authors.forename: Leslie E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Grissom
authors.forename: Kathlene E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Walters
authors.forename: Ramona A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Beasley
authors.forename: Jacqueline P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Gustafson
authors.forename: Arabinda K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Choudhary
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D059906:Neuroimaging / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010372:Pediatrics; D058996:Quality Improvement / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011871:Radiology / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013997:Time Factors; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States