Teleradiology services provider NightHawk Radiology Services has released a statement indicating that it will not engage in what some believe to be "predatory practices" by teleradiology services firms.
Under what the Scottsdale, AZ-based firm is calling its Rules of Engagement, NightHawk said it will only agree to consider doing business directly with hospitals or indirectly by providing services to nonradiologist-owned entities such as a practice management organization (PMO) if three conditions are met:
- A hospital does not currently have a radiology group providing services, and has not had a radiology group servicing it for some reasonable period of time.
- A hospital is serviced by a radiology group, and that radiology group invites NightHawk or a PMO to enter into a hospital service agreement with them.
- A hospital initiates an open competition to consider changing the radiology group servicing it. NightHawk would then consider supporting a PMO if neither the incumbent radiology group nor any competing radiology group is a NightHawk customer.
Dave Engert, NightHawk president and CEO, said the company had heard from the radiology community that there is an opportunity to help radiology groups improve their services to their hospital customers without being predatory or competing with these groups. Engert also said the company learned a hard lesson last year after becoming involved in a process that "inadvertently produced a difficult and unfortunate result."
While NightHawk's contractual involvement was indirect in the case, the company is committed to eliminating the potential for any "undesirable outcomes" to be repeated in the future, Engert said. The new strategy will ensure that NightHawk's resources and goals are aligned with those of its customers, he said.
Related Reading
NightHawk partners with Swiss firm, April 13, 2010
NightHawk moves to Ariz.., March 16, 2010
NightHawk hit with shareholder suit, December 21, 2009
NightHawk unveils new QA program, December 1, 2009
NightHawk reports flat Q3 revenues, November 9, 2009
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