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Patient preferences for diagnostic imaging services: Decentralize or not?
Eline M van den Broek-Altenburg1, Jamie S Benson2, Adam J Atherly3
1Larner College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, USA.
Plos One
|May 16, 2025
Summary
Patients prefer hospital outpatient radiology departments (HORDs) for diagnostic imaging due to lower costs, specialist radiologists, and convenience. Experienced patients value HORDs more, while new patients prioritize service ratings and online scheduling.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Patient-Centered Care
Background:
- Outpatient diagnostic imaging services are crucial for patient care.
- Understanding patient preferences is key to optimizing service delivery and competitiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify patient preferences for outpatient diagnostic imaging services.
- To analyze patient trade-offs between imaging service attributes using a discrete choice experiment (DCE).
Main Methods:
- A discrete choice experiment (DCE) with 14 choice questions was employed.
- Latent class analysis was used to analyze preference heterogeneity among patient subgroups.
Main Results:
- Experienced patients favored hospital outpatient radiology departments (HORDs) for lower costs, specialist radiologists, PCP recommendations, online scheduling, higher service ratings, and shorter wait/travel times.
- New patients significantly valued service ratings and online scheduling at HORDs.
Conclusions:
- Hospital outpatient radiology departments (HORDs) can enhance competitiveness by meeting patient expectations, offering online scheduling, and leveraging their association with medical centers.
- There is a significant opportunity for medical centers to develop appealing and competitive HORDs as an alternative to retail radiology clinics (RRCs).
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