Radiology screening programs are often discussed through the lens of early detection and population health. While these outcomes remain central, the experience of our radiology department at Oklahoma City Indian Clinic demonstrates that calculated investment in screening services also plays a key role in driving downstream revenue, strengthening care pathways, and positioning radiology as an integral partner in organizational growth.

Screening Growth as a Catalyst for System-Wide Impact

What started as a capstone project for the AHRA’s Leaders of Choice program led to real, tangible outcomes for our clinic and the population we serve. Between 2024 and 2025, our radiology department experienced a 56% increase in total screening exams, expanding from 3,468 to 5,429 annual screenings per year. This increase was driven by both the expansion of established programs, such as mammography, DEXA, coronary calcium scoring, and low-dose CT lung cancer screening, and the introduction of automated breast ultrasound (ABUS).

Creating Intentional Care Pathways

Each screening modality initiates a defined clinical pathway:

• Low-Dose CT Lung Cancer Screening frequently leads to follow-up diagnostic CT exams, PET imaging, pulmonology referrals, biopsy procedures, and oncology services.
• Coronary Calcium Scoring generates referrals to cardiology, advanced cardiac imaging, stress testing, and long-term medical management.
• Screening Mammography and ABUS support diagnostic mammography, breast ultrasound, biopsy, surgery, and oncology navigation.
• DEXA Screening connects patients to primary care follow-up, endocrinology, orthopedics, physical therapy, and medication management.

By coordinating screening programs with clearly defined downstream workflows, radiology becomes an enabler of coordinated, expedited care rather than a standalone service.

Financial Impact Beyond the Initial Exam

While screening exams typically carry lower individual reimbursement than diagnostic studies, their cumulative financial impact is meaningful when downstream utilization is considered. In 2025, our department generated a 26.5% increase in revenue compared to 2024.

Importantly, screening programs contribute to revenue stability. Unlike episodic diagnostic imaging driven by acute care, screening volumes are predictable, schedulable, and repeatable. Such consistency supports more accurate staffing models, equipment utilization, and financial forecasting.

Strengthening Provider and Patient Engagement

Screening growth additionally bolsters relationships across the care continuum. Primary care providers rely on radiology to identify risk early and guide next steps. Specialty providers depend on timely, high-quality imaging to support treatment decisions. Patients benefit from streamlined pathways that reduce delays, confusion, and care fragmentation.

In our experience, close collaboration with primary care, cardiology, and women’s health was essential to sustaining screening growth. Clear referral criteria and communication to our providers ensured that screening findings translated into timely action.

Operational Considerations and Leadership Opportunities

Scaling screening programs calls for careful operational planning. Increased volume impacts technologist staffing, scheduling templates, protocol management, and reporting workflows. However, these obstacles also present leadership opportunities.

Through leveraging data to understand conversion rates, from screening to diagnostic and procedural care, radiology leaders can:

• Advocate for capital investments tied directly to downstream revenue.
• Align staffing models with predictable demand.
• Demonstrate radiology’s role in achieving organizational growth and quality goals.

In our department, screening growth strengthened the business case for reinvestment in equipment, workforce development, and workflow optimization — reinforcing radiology’s strategic value.

Reframing Radiology’s Role

Radiology leaders are uniquely positioned to reframe screening from a volume metric to a strategic benefit. When screening programs are intentionally designed, operationally supported, and clinically integrated, they yield measurable value across the health system.

Screening is no longer exclusively about finding disease early. It is about creating sustainable care pathways, improving access, stabilizing revenue, and reinforcing radiology’s role as a central driver of coordinated, patient-focused care.

As healthcare organizations remain focused on prioritizing prevention and value-based outcomes, radiology departments that coordinate screening growth with a downstream strategy will be best positioned to lead.

Tune in to Medical Imaging Matters, the official podcast of AHRA, to hear more about Lisa’s Leaders of Choice capstone project and the powerful impact it had on the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic and the patients it serves.