Good riddance to the old Radiologists at El Camino. If they can't do the job, then the Administration has to hire a new group to take over. Radiology can be done from anywhere, including Australia or India. Whether it is good quality is irrelevant. Low cost is the key! More money for the hospital and bonuses for the Administration. Patients will not see any cost benefit from the lower cost and quality! If a tumor gets missed and a patient dies, that's just a cost of doing business! The hospital is expert at shifting blame for their mistakes. Maybe some of the OLD Radiologists can go work for Ed Bough, MD, El Camino Hospital District Board Member, at his new, competing, 64-slice CT scanner a block away on Grant Road!

As we say in the economics field, "Follow the money." The El Camino Radiologists couldn't attract new radiologists because their business was decreasing. This is directly related to the opening of the new Camino Medical Group building on El Camino with a new radiology suite, and the competing CT scanner owned and operated by District Board Member Ed Bough, MD, just up the street on Grant Road. There is no other reason why a viable business in operation for 45 years would give notice and close its doors. These new Radiology Groups will leave too if they find business is not as they expected.

it's good to see progress is still happening at el camino hospital. getting new physicians is exactly the right move.

Scope Medical Staff Newsletter July 2007

"GOODBYE AND THANKS FOR ALL THE FISHING EXPEDITIONS OR THANKS FOR THE MAMMOGRAMS

by Volney Van Dalsem, III, MD

As many members of the El Camino Hospital medical community know, imaging trends and economic imperatives, as well as past and present administrative decisions, has led to a deteriorating fiscal situation for the El Camino Radiologists Medical Group (ECRMG). These factors contributed to the relatively rapid exodus of radiologists from the group, and ultimately forced the voluntary surrender of ECRMG's contract for diagnostic imaging interpretation at El Camino Hospital and dissolution of ECRMG.

I have previously characterized the debacle as a nearly perpetrator-less crime. No single physician, payer or administrator is responsible for these recent events. Rather, a virtual perfect storm of contributing factors (including by not limited to: declining reimbursement, hospital pricing strategies, physician referral patterns, and the absence of an outpatient imaging center) created an untenable financial environment.

Following receipt of ECRMG's 90-day notice of contract termination, the hospital administration initiated a search for a replacement and the selection of the current radiologists at ECH. This new group provides services at several other hospitals in the region, extensively utilizing teleradiology (diminishing the need and requirement of "boots on the ground" radiologists in residence.

While the national and international growth of teleradiology suggests the future direction of hospital-based diagnostic imaging services, this trend is personally revolutionary rather than evolutionary. Simply stated, I'm an old dog and this is a new trick. After 27 years, it's time to move on.

My greatest professional satisfaction lies in direct and personal collaborative and collegial interplay with my peers - the clinicians. I extend my sincere thanks to the past and current members of the medical staff for your trust and the opportunity to participate in the care of your patients. Or, more accurately, in the care of our patients.

I plan to stay involved with El Camino Hospital as an ongoing member of the Foundation Board, and will maintain my medical staff membership. I'll just be professionally relocating a few miles northward.

Stay in touch. I should be easy to find. (I'll be wearing Cardinal red.)"

Apparently, the new radiology group is planning to leave as well. What is the hospital doing?

Dan, good info. Do you think the hospital will send out a press release about the new radiologists leaving? When El Camino says their surveys show high physician satisfaction, they must be omitting the physicians who bailed out! Who knows what the hospital is doing? They don't seem to know themselves!

The Hospital hired another new Radiology group this week. Why won't physicians stay at El Camino Hospital longer than 8 months?

El Camino Hospital Contracts With Silicon Valley Diagnostic Imaging
02/15/2008

El Camino Hospital announced today that effective February 22, 2008, Silicon Valley Diagnostic Imaging (SVDI) will become its provider of radiology services. SVDI will serve El Camino Hospital exclusively, providing services from the hospital's facilities in Mountain View.

SVDI was founded by Dr. Imtiaz Qureshi and Dr. Ramesh Gopi, who serve as SVDI directors. Dr. Qureshi serves as Medical Director and chief of radiology at El Camino Hospital, and Dr. Gopi is president and CEO of SVDI and vice-chief of radiology. Other physicians in SVDI include Elizabeth Schneider, MD and Lisa Hwong, MD. Soon to join is Samuel Dawn, MD, who is currently chief of thoracic imaging at Valley Medical Center in San Jose.

"Although this is a new group, these physicians are familiar to staff and physicians," said Cecile Currier, Vice President of Professional, Corporate and Community Health Services, "and all have demonstrated their commitment to providing diagnostic information accurately and rapidly for our physicians and patients."