Accurate and timely diagnoses are critical for ensuring the best possible care for our animal patients. However, the challenges of providing this level of care can be overwhelming, especially when it comes to diagnostic imaging. That's where veterinary teleradiology solutions come in.
The Power of Teleradiology in Veterinary Medicine
Efficiency and Convenience
Traditionally, veterinarians have relied on in-house radiology equipment or referrals to specialty practices for expert interpretation. With veterinary teleradiology solutions, veterinarians can now easily upload digital radiographic images to a secure platform, where expert radiologists provide fast and accurate interpretations, reducing wait times and improving patient care.
Access to Expertise
One of the key advantages is the ability to access specialized expertise remotely. Board-certified radiologists with extensive experience use advanced technologies to view radiographic images at the highest possible resolution, enabling precise diagnoses for a wide range of animal patients.
Confidentiality and Security
Patient privacy and security are of the greatest importance. Veterinary teleradiology solutions prioritize these concerns by using the latest encryption technologies to store and transmit patient data securely.
Seamless Workflow and Collaboration
Same-Day Interpretations
Veterinary teleradiology solutions guarantee same-day interpretations, allowing veterinarians to receive rapid and accurate diagnosis reports. This is especially valuable when dealing with time-sensitive cases that require prompt treatment.
Collaboration with Specialists
In complex cases, collaboration with specialists is crucial. Veterinary teleradiology solutions make specialist consultations more accessible than ever before. No matter where you are located, you can effortlessly communicate with leading providers and discuss cases.
What turnaround time and SLA should a veterinary teleradiology service commit to?
Turnaround time is the interval between a study arriving with the reading service and the signed report reaching the referring practice. A service level agreement (SLA) is the written commitment that sets that interval, and it is the first thing to read before signing with any teleradiology provider.
A useful SLA answers five questions:
- Routine turnaround. Most services quote routine reads in hours rather than days. Ask for the figure as a maximum, not an average, and ask what share of reports actually meet it.
- STAT turnaround. Urgent cases need a separate, shorter commitment, usually measured in one to two hours, and a way to mark the study as urgent at the point of submission rather than by phone call afterwards.
- Hours of coverage. Whether the routine and STAT figures apply overnight, at weekends and on public holidays, or only in business hours in the service's own time zone.
- What counts as delivered. A finished report should land in the patient record at the referring practice, not in an inbox. If delivery means an email attachment, the practice is doing the filing.
- Escalation. Who to contact when a STAT read is late, and what the remedy is.
The platform underneath the service decides whether those commitments are realistic. With Keystone Community, the referring practice sends the study from inside Keystone Omni with one click, the reading service is notified the moment it arrives, and the report comes back into the same patient record. Nothing waits on an upload someone forgot to start.
For reading groups running their own service on NewLumen, priority triage flags urgent studies so they surface at the top of every radiologist's worklist, and routing rules assign cases by modality and priority automatically. Per-report billing rolls up by sign date, so the group can see exactly how many reports met the agreed window. The teleradiology worklist and routing page walks through how assignment and priority are configured.
Practices comparing providers should ask for the SLA in writing, ask how urgent studies are flagged, and ask where the report ends up. A fast quoted turnaround that finishes in an email inbox at 2 a.m. is slower, in practice, than a report that files itself.
Our Advantage
Cutting-Edge Technology
We leverage patented technologies to offer veterinarians the highest quality radiographic image resolution and interpretation. Our user-friendly platform allows for easy image uploads and quick access to expert opinions, all while maintaining the highest level of security.
Industry Partnerships
Collaboration is crucial to advancing animal healthcare. Established partnerships with leading industry providers ensure that our platform integrates effortlessly with your existing veterinary practice management systems. This eliminates the need for complex data transfers and allows for a smooth workflow.
Veterinary teleradiology solutions are transforming the way veterinarians access expert interpretations and collaborate with specialists, advancing animal healthcare from a distance.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a typical turnaround time for veterinary teleradiology?
Routine reads are usually quoted in hours and urgent (STAT) reads in one to two hours, but the figures vary by provider and by time of day. Ask for the maximum turnaround as a written commitment, not an average, and ask how often the service meets it.
What should a veterinary teleradiology SLA include?
Routine and STAT turnaround maximums, the hours and days those figures apply, how urgent studies are flagged at submission, where the finished report is delivered, and who to contact when a read is late.
How does the imaging platform affect turnaround time?
The platform controls the parts of the interval that are not the radiologist's reading time: how quickly the study leaves the practice, whether the reading service is notified automatically, whether urgent studies are visible as urgent, and whether the report files itself into the patient record. Keystone Community handles the send and return from inside Keystone Omni; NewLumen adds priority triage and rule-based routing for groups running their own reading service.
Can urgent studies be prioritised automatically?
In NewLumen, yes. Priority triage flags urgent studies and routing rules place them at the top of the assigned radiologist's worklist. In Keystone Community, the referring practice marks the request when it is sent and the reading service is notified immediately.