What is radiology turnaround time?
The short answer
Turnaround time is the elapsed time between a study being available to read and the signed report reaching the care team. The fairest clock for the reader starts when all images are complete on the worklist and stops at the signed final. Report it by priority, as medians plus the share inside target, so a few fast reads can’t hide slow ones.
- By prioritystroke, STAT, ED, inpatient, outpatient
- Mediansplus the share inside target
- 45 minOP-23: ED arrival to stroke CT interpretation
Which clock should you use?
| Clock | Starts | Stops | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order to report | Order placed | Report signed | The whole patient experience, including scanning delays |
| Exam complete to report | Technologist completes the exam | Report signed | Imaging plus reading, without ordering delays |
| Images complete to report | All images on the reader’s worklist | Report signed | The radiologist’s own speed, the fairest vendor measure |
| Arrival to interpretation | Patient arrives in the ED | Interpretation | Stroke measures such as OP-23 |
Use more than one. Images-complete to report holds the reader accountable; order-to-report shows where the rest of the process loses time.
How do turnaround expectations differ by priority?
- Stroke
- The tightest window. CMS OP-23 tracks head CT or MRI interpretation within 45 minutes of ED arrival for eligible stroke patients. See our OP-23 guide.
- Critical results
- Not a report clock but a call clock: hospitals must report critical results on a timely basis under the Joint Commission’s National Patient Safety Goals. TeleRads calls within 15 minutes.
- STAT and ED
- Commonly targeted well inside the ED visit, because the result decides admission, transfer or discharge. Set the target in your agreement.
- Inpatient
- Usually measured in hours, timed so results are ready for rounds and discharge decisions.
- Outpatient
- Usually measured in business days, by agreement with the ordering practices.
How should you report turnaround?
- Split by priority: one number across all studies hides the ones that matter
- Show medians and the share inside target, not only averages
- Use the images-complete clock for reader performance
- Separate the hours: overnight, evening and weekend turnaround behave differently
- Track critical-call times separately from report times
- Review monthly with your teleradiology provider, study by study when something is late
What causes slow turnaround?
Usually upstream of the reader
- Incomplete series or images still sending
- Orders that never reached the reader’s list
- Missing history or priors
- Studies not marked with the right priority
Usually on the reading side
- Too few readers for the hour’s volume
- No automatic priority for stroke and STAT
- No backup when a reader is unavailable
- Reading preliminaries that must be re-read
At TeleRads, stroke studies are read first, a named backup is on every night, and reads outside the agreed turnaround aren’t charged. See how teleradiology pricing works.
Questions
What is a good radiology turnaround time?
It depends on priority and setting. Stroke has a measured window (OP-23: interpretation within 45 minutes of ED arrival for eligible patients); STAT and ED studies are commonly targeted well inside the ED visit; inpatient in hours; outpatient in business days. Set targets in your agreement.
How is radiology turnaround time measured?
Most fairly for the reader from when all images are complete on the worklist to the signed final. Order-to-report shows the whole process, including scanning and routing delays.
Is there a national standard for radiology turnaround time?
Not for most studies. Expectations are set by local policy and agreements. Stroke imaging is the main exception, through measures such as CMS OP-23.
Why report medians instead of averages?
Averages are pulled by outliers in both directions. Medians plus the share of studies inside target show what a typical study experiences and how often the target is missed.
What happens if TeleRads reads outside the agreed turnaround?
Reads outside the agreed turnaround are not charged.