How do you switch teleradiology providers?
The short answer
Give notice only after you know your new provider’s go-live date. Start credentialing and the HL7 and image connection at the same time, test with real studies, then cut over on a set night with the outgoing group still available as backup. Plan on about 30 days from signature to the first live read.
- 30 daystypical signature to first read
- 2 trackscredentialing and IT run in parallel
- 0 nightswithout coverage when it’s sequenced well
Why hospitals switch
Hospitals rarely switch teleradiology providers on a whim. The usual reasons are practical: reports that arrive late or need addenda, critical results that aren’t called or aren’t documented, preliminary reads that leave your day group re-reading the night, a phone line that goes to a queue, surcharges that make the monthly bill hard to predict, or readers who change every night and never learn your hospital.
If any of those sound familiar, write them down before you talk to a new provider. They become the questions you ask, and later the standards you hold the new group to.
The switch, step by step
- 01
Check your current contract
Find the term, the notice period and any auto-renewal date. Many agreements need 60 to 90 days’ written notice. Don’t send notice yet.
- 02
Choose the new provider and agree a go-live date
Ask for a written plan with the hours covered, the named readers, the turnaround and critical-call standards, and the date they will be reading.
- 03
Start credentialing on day one
Each radiologist must be licensed in your state and approved by your medical staff office. TeleRads builds every file through an NCQA-certified credentials verification organization (CVO), built to Joint Commission standards; your office reviews and approves.
- 04
Connect orders, images and reports
Your IT team points HL7 orders and image routing to the new group, and signed reports flow back into your system in your format. Sign the HIPAA Business Associate Agreement (BAA) before any patient data moves.
- 05
Test with real studies
Send test orders and images end to end: order in, images in, report back to the right patient and the right ordering provider. Check that critical calls reach the right phone.
- 06
Give notice to the outgoing group
Once the go-live date is firm, send notice so the old contract ends after the new group is reading, not before.
- 07
Cut over on a set night
Pick one night, tell the ED and the radiology department, and keep the outgoing group reachable as backup for the first week.
- 08
Review the first month
Look at turnaround, critical calls and any report corrections in the first monthly scorecard, and fix small things early.
What to prepare for the new group
- Your hours to cover and your busiest nights
- Approximate monthly volume by modality (CT, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray)
- Your critical results list and who receives calls overnight
- Report templates or any format your medical staff expects
- The medical staff office contact and next committee dates
- Your IT contact for HL7 and image routing
- Any stroke, trauma or STEMI program requirements
Common mistakes
What causes gaps
- Sending notice before the new group has a go-live date
- Starting credentialing after the IT work is finished
- Testing with sample images instead of real orders and reports
- Switching on a holiday weekend
- No backup plan for the first nights
What prevents them
- Notice timed to a confirmed go-live date
- Credentialing and IT running in parallel from day one
- End-to-end tests with real orders, images and reports
- A quiet weeknight for the cutover
- The outgoing group reachable as backup for a week
How long it takes
Most hospitals are live with TeleRads in 30 days. The longest pieces are usually licensing and your medical staff office’s committee schedule, which is why credentialing starts the day the agreement is signed rather than after the technical work. There is nothing for your staff to install: orders arrive by HL7, images by secure routing to our PACS, and signed finals go back into your system.
The full onboarding sequence is on how it works, and our guide to teleradiology credentialing covers the medical staff side in detail.
Questions
How long does it take to switch teleradiology providers?
Most hospitals are live with TeleRads in 30 days from signing. Credentialing and the HL7 and image connection run in parallel, so the longest piece is usually your medical staff office’s committee schedule.
Should I give notice to my current provider first?
No. Confirm the new provider’s go-live date first, then give notice so the old contract ends after the new group is already reading.
Will there be a gap in coverage when we switch?
There shouldn’t be. With credentialing and IT running in parallel, end-to-end testing and a set cutover night, the new group is reading before the old one stops.
What does our IT team need to do?
Point HL7 orders and image routing to the new group and receive signed reports back into your system. There is nothing to install. A HIPAA Business Associate Agreement is signed before any data moves.
What is the contract term with TeleRads?
One year, then 90 days’ notice.