Teleradiology of Korea in 2017: Survey and Interview of Training Hospitals and Teleradiology Center

Purpose Teleradiology has been widely used nationwide in various ways. In order to prepare a guideline, it was recognized that a survey on the actual condition of teleradiology in Korea was necessary. Materials and Methods The questionnaires were administered to training hospitals. Interviews were also conducted with teleradiology centers and teleradiologists. The bid records of Government e-Procurement System (Narajangteo) was examined. Results The main reason for requesting teleradiology was manpower shortage. The contracts were made on a per-case basis and all were interpreted with the reading radiolgists’ names on the report. The report seemed to be delivered timely and access to clinical information was possible in some cases. The teleradiology fees collected from the e-procurement system were lower than those from other subjects, which is thought to be the result of the lowest bid method. Conclusion Guidelines for teleradiology should be developed on legitimate interpretations. In addition, continuous efforts to solve the problem of quality deterioration of teleradiology will be needed.