A Level I trauma center and comprehensive stroke center lost nearly its entire radiology department very quickly.
LocumTenens.com built a fully remote, neuro-capable teleradiology operation from scratch in 60 days — something no other company could do — restoring continuity of care, clearing an extensive backlog and stabilizing operations until a permanent group transitioned in.
Restoring radiology coverage in 60 days
The situation
A Level I trauma and comprehensive stroke center was in the middle of transitioning away from a long‑term radiology vendor. They had already selected a new radiology partner, but that incoming group could not complete the transition quickly enough to avoid major service gaps.
Meanwhile, the outgoing vendor left behind a 2,000‑study unread backlog, creating an urgent operational and patient‑care risk. With critical designations on the line and no remote reading capabilities in place, the health system needed an immediate, temporary solution to stabilize radiology services.
The challenge
The hospital needed immediate teleradiology support — now the preferred and rapidly expanding model in this subspecialty — even though other agencies could only rapidly deploy on‑site radiologists. The facility required neuro-trained physicians capable of stroke reads, a highly specialized credential, and needed to replace more than 30 clinicians within 60 days, while maintaining 24/7 coverage.
In short, the challenge to LocumTenens.com was to:
• Maintain 24/7 radiology coverage while the new permanent vendor ramped up.
• Deploy a fully remote teleradiology model where no infrastructure existed.
• Fill the functional workload of 30+ radiologists within 60 days.
• Clear a large inherited backlog while also handling daily clinical volume.
The solution
LocumTenens.com deployed a rapid‑response teleradiology operation, combining specialized staffing and intensive IT support to stabilize coverage and clear the backlog.
The support team at LocumTenens.com — which included clinical operations, recruitment, credentialing and licensing teams, provider enrollment, technology and customer care — collaborated with the facility’s teams to build and implement a complete virtual reading environment. Within 60 days, we recruited and credentialed 14 radiologists to provide 24/7 support.
Intensive IT support
To implement the teleradiology program, the LT Technology Team collaborated daily with the facility, spending more than 75 hours alone on IT engineering support to enable a fully remote workflow. This support included platform integration, system set up and intensive training for the hospital’s IT team.
Clearing the backlog
Once the teleradiology program was up and running, our physicians were able to get started. LT worked closely with the facility’s scheduler to manage daily schedule changes and coverage adjustments. The radiologists quickly began clearing the 2,000+ case backlog while prioritizing critical reads and emergent cases.
Results
Within 60 days, the health system regained seamless coverage, reduced its significant backlog, and were able to maintain their highly coveted trauma and stroke capabilities and certifications.
• Reduced unread backlog from 2,000+ studies down to double digits.
• Preserved continuous coverage throughout the vendor transition.
• Successfully implemented the hospital’s first fully virtual radiology model.
• Delivered a stabilized, functional radiology operation for the incoming permanent vendor.
Why it matters
This case demonstrates how LocumTenens.com acts as a crisis‑ready strategic operations partner — not just a staffing provider — capable of restoring radiology services, deploying teleradiology infrastructure and protecting patient care when traditional vendor transitions fall short.