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In This Issue:
Meet Dr. Stephen Ledbetter: Bringing BWH to the Forefront of Diagnostic Radiology
Stephen Ledbetter, MD, as head of the Division of Emergency Radiology, serves as a vital link between the Departments of Radiology and Emergency Medicine. Ledbetter has been highly instrumental in guiding the division from its founding in 1999 to its current position as the 24-hour focus of diagnostic imaging in the Radiology Department. Under his leadership, major changes in the way Radiology services are provided in the Emergency Department (ED) have been undertaken. The division is now poised to provide around-the-clock, 24-hour attending Emergency Radiology coverage and will do so beginning in July.
Before the division was formed, ED images were sent to various subspecialty radiologists based outside the ED for interpretation. Coverage during the evening and overnight was provided mostly by Radiology residents because subspecialty Radiology services cannot be provided in the hospital at all times of the day.
This presented great challenges related to coordination of patient care, access to Radiology consultation, and timely provision of Radiology services. By bringing all these interpretations under one Radiology service based in the ED, many of these challenges were overcome and significant gains in the quality of Radiology services were realized. Attending radiologists are now immediately accessible to physicians taking care of patients in the ED and interpretations of Radiology studies are provided within minutes at the point of patient care.
Ledbetter has been working to better coordinate efforts between the ED and Radiology Departments with the goal of the 24-hour coverage. “Given the technological advances in the field of radiology, particularly CT, and the greater reliance on the results of these diagnostic tests for front-line medical decisions, I think it has become critical for radiologists to be an integral part of emergency care. Additionally, the fact that most imaging is digital and can be sent relatively easily from one hospital to the next means that the barriers for being able to provide attending-level radiology interpretations are diminishing, and it is gradually becoming the new standard of care,” said Ledbetter.
The potential for such technological advances played a large part in Ledbetter’s decision to pursue Radiology as a specialty. A graduate of Wake Forest Medical School, he interned at the Partners-affiliate, Newton-Wellesley Hospital, and completed his residency in Diagnostic Radiology and fellowship in Emergency Radiology at BWH.
According to Ron Walls, MD, chair, Department of Emergency Medicine, “Dr. Ledbetter has quite literally transformed Emergency Radiology at BWH and has created a high quality, superbly organized and comprehensive diagnostic radiology team. It serves as a model of collaboration, professionalism and outstanding service.”
“Dr. Ledbetter is at the forefront of a new generation of radiologists who believe that diagnostic imaging is critical to patient clinical care decisions at any time of the day or night. Being true to this paradigm of patient care, he has led our effort to expand the hours of service that radiologists provide to ED physicians and patients and has been a very effective advocate for change in the way Radiology is practiced at BWH,” said Steven Seltzer, MD, chair, Department of Radiology. “He is clearly a rising star in our department, as well as in his subspecialty, and represents an emerging leader among our young faculty members.”
Capitalizing even further on the benefits of teleradiology, which allows the transmission of perfect, digital images over long distances, Ledbetter anticipates growing the Radiology staff from three to six physicians and providing expert radiologic interpretation via teleradiology for outside hospital clients within the next year.
Brian Chiango, administrator, Department of Radiology, sees great implications from teleradiology. “Potentially, ED physicians can send images from anywhere in the world, to be read by experts in Emergency Radiology such as Dr. Ledbetter and his team,” he said. Although BWH Radiology has not formally adopted a subscription service, interest from other hospitals has already been intense.
“Hospitals and radiology departments know this is the standard of care for the future,” said Ledbetter. “With our academic radiology mission, BWH is well positioned to be a leader in the delivery of Emergency Radiology services.”
This is the fifth in a series of articles highlighting emerging clinical leaders in BWH’s various service lines.