The Strategic Radiology (SR) June Meeting returned to the idyllic mountain setting of Park City, Utah, last month to take care of coalition business and update member practices and the board of managers on progress toward the strategic plan and objectives of the coalition. Long days in meeting rooms ended in networking opportunities over the dinner table—establishing the trust and collegiality necessary to build a functional team requires interpersonal interaction and face time with all team members. 

A market update from the Advisory Board emphasized the pressure on hospitals, for which expense growth is outpacing revenue growth—bright spots for imaging are growing outpatient volumes with an especially positive outlook for outpatient IR—and shared several innovative strategies different imaging groups are deploying.

Committee reports provided updates on a variety of topics, including new analytics capabilities that automate the previously arduous task of physician productivity reports and three new affiliate practices added in Q2: Minneapolis Radiology Associates, Tower Imaging Medical Group (Los Angeles), and XRC (South Bend, Indiana).

Several firsts marked the quarterly event: Entertainment was provided at dinner the first night in the form of a demonstration by chef Matt Harris, owner/proprietor of Tupelo, a downtown Park City restaurant, during which attendees learned how to make the meal that would be served that evening. The summer poached halibut in an heirloom carrot vinaigrette was uniformly praised as excellent, although some were of the persuasion that more of a good thing would have been even better. The evening adjourned with strawberry shortcake made with home-made biscuits, strawberry coulis, and elderflower whipped cream, and diners exited carrying the recipe card and newfound culinary skills. 

Also new at the meeting was a Products & Services Information Hall where members were able to connect with representatives of the following SR services and products: Patient Safety Organization, Subspecialty Reading Network, Compliance, SR’s Preferred Insurance Program (medical professional liability, cyber, property & casualty, and life & disability), RadIQ (data warehouse and analytics), Patient Satisfaction Surveys, Group Purchasing, and the Clinically Integrated Platform. 

Otherwise, it was business as usual in an unusually pleasant setting. The final day of the meeting concluded with Board of Manager votes on a variety of coalition business, including refinements on the strategy to build a clinically integrated platform for member practice interoperability.