What is teleradiology, in one paragraph?
The short answer
Teleradiology means a licensed radiologist reads your hospital’s imaging remotely. Orders and images are sent electronically to the radiologist, who interprets the study and returns a report, ideally a signed final, into your system. It is the same radiology work as on-site reading; only the radiologist’s location changes. The radiologist must still be licensed in the patient’s state and credentialed at your hospital.
- Remotethe radiologist reads off-site
- Same standardlicensed in your state, credentialed at your hospital
- Any hourovernight, evenings, weekends or 24/7
How does a study travel in teleradiology?
A teleradiology read follows the same path every time. Each step is electronic, so no one at the hospital has to carry anything anywhere:
- 01
The order is placed
A clinician orders an exam in the hospital’s system. With TeleRads, the order is sent to us by HL7 the moment it is placed, so the radiologist knows a study is coming.
- 02
The images are acquired
The technologist performs the CT, MRI, ultrasound or X-ray on the hospital’s scanner, exactly as they would for an on-site radiologist.
- 03
Images route securely
The images route securely to the teleradiology PACS (the picture archiving system the radiologist reads from). There is nothing for hospital staff to install.
- 04
The radiologist reads
A radiologist licensed in the patient’s state reviews the images, along with priors and the clinical history, and dictates findings and an impression.
- 05
Critical results are called
If the study shows a finding that needs action now, the radiologist calls the care team directly. TeleRads calls critical results within 15 minutes and logs who took the call, their role and the time.
- 06
The signed report goes back
The signed report returns to the hospital’s system in its format, attached to the order, so it becomes part of the patient’s record.
What does a night of teleradiology look like?
Most hospitals first meet teleradiology overnight, so here is what a typical night of overnight coverage looks like from the radiologist’s side. Times are illustrative; every hospital’s night is different.
- 01
10 PM: handoff from the day group
The overnight radiologist logs on, sees the open list and any notes from the day group, and starts with whatever is waiting.
- 02
11:40 PM: a stroke alert
A head CT and CT angiogram arrive marked as a stroke. They go to the top of the list ahead of everything else, and the result is called to the ED. Our guide to stroke imaging turnaround explains why minutes matter here.
- 03
1 AM to 4 AM: the steady middle
ED CTs for abdominal pain, falls and chest pain; X-rays from the ED and floors; ultrasound where the hospital scans overnight. Each is read and signed in order of urgency.
- 04
2:30 AM: a critical finding
A pulmonary embolism on a CT angiogram. The radiologist calls the ordering provider, who reads the finding back, and the call is logged with name, role and time.
- 05
6 AM: the last push
Inpatient films for morning rounds, and the studies that came in overnight but aren’t urgent, so the list is clear for the day group.
- 06
7 AM: the handoff note
The day group receives a short note: what was read overnight and what was called. Nothing is left for them to re-read.
Who uses teleradiology?
- Hospitals with a day radiology group that need nights, evenings or weekends covered
- Critical access and rural hospitals that can’t staff radiology every hour (see our critical access guide)
- Hospitals between groups, or whose group has lost radiologists
- Emergency departments that need stroke and trauma reads at any hour
- Radiology groups that need overflow capacity during vacations and busy days
- Imaging centers that need reads for outpatient studies
Preliminary or final: what’s the difference?
Preliminary read
- A quick interpretation to guide the ED overnight
- Your own radiologists re-read and sign in the morning
- Night work moves to the morning instead of going away
Final read
- A complete, signed report: the report of record
- Your day group starts the morning with a handoff note
- One report per study, no second read to reconcile
Every TeleRads report is a signed final. Our guide to preliminary vs final reads covers when each model makes sense.
What are the benefits and limits of teleradiology?
What teleradiology does well
- Covers hours an on-site group can’t staff: nights, evenings, weekends and holidays
- Adds capacity during backlogs, vacations and recruiting gaps
- Brings stroke and emergency reads to small and rural hospitals at any hour
- Lets your own radiologists keep reasonable schedules
What it doesn’t replace
- Hands-on procedures, which still need a radiologist on site
- Your day group’s relationships with your medical staff
- Your hospital’s own credentialing and privileging decisions
- Good process: images, orders and history still have to arrive complete
Most hospitals use teleradiology alongside their own radiologists rather than instead of them: the group keeps the day and the procedures, and teleradiology covers the hours and the overflow. Where there is no on-site group at all, 24/7 teleradiology can cover every hour.
What makes teleradiology good or bad?
The technology is the easy part. What separates a provider you can rely on at 3 AM from one you end up chasing is how the work is run:
- Who reads
- Named radiologists licensed in your state and credentialed at your hospital, not whoever is free.
- Report type
- Signed finals in your format, or preliminaries your group must re-read.
- Critical results
- Called directly, read back and documented with name, role and time, under Joint Commission expectations.
- Backup
- A named backup reader every night, already credentialed at your hospital.
- Reachability
- One number answered by a person when your ED needs the reader.
- Reporting
- A monthly scorecard with turnaround, critical calls and peer review.
- Pricing
- One monthly bill, per study or per wRVU, without STAT or after-hours surcharges.
The American College of Radiology publishes guidance on teleradiology practice. For a buyer’s checklist, see how to choose a teleradiology company.
How do hospitals start teleradiology?
Starting coverage has two tracks that run in parallel. Credentialing: every radiologist is licensed in your state and approved by your medical staff office; TeleRads builds each file through an NCQA-certified credentials verification organization, built to Joint Commission standards. Connection: your IT team points HL7 orders and image routing to us, and signed reports flow back. We sign a HIPAA Business Associate Agreement with every hospital, and most hospitals are live in 30 days. The full sequence is on how it works, and you can see a signed sample read.
Questions
What is teleradiology?
Teleradiology is the remote interpretation of medical images such as CT, MRI, ultrasound and X-ray by a licensed radiologist working from a different location than the hospital, with the signed report returned into the hospital’s system.
Is teleradiology as accurate as on-site reading?
The radiologist, the images and the standard of care are the same; only the location changes. Quality depends on who reads, whether reports are final, how critical results are handled and how the work is peer reviewed.
Do teleradiologists need a license in our state?
Yes. The radiologist must be licensed in the state where the patient is and credentialed and privileged at your hospital before reading.
What studies can be read through teleradiology?
CT, MRI, ultrasound and X-ray from the ED, inpatient floors and outpatient settings, including stroke and trauma studies.
How long does it take to start teleradiology?
Most hospitals are live with TeleRads in 30 days, with credentialing and the HL7 and image connection running in parallel.