Title: The impact of globalisation on teleradiology practice

Authors: Yao Y. Shieh, Fong Y. Tsai, Mengkai Shieh

Addresses: 101 The City Drive South, UCIrvine Medical Center, Orange CA 92868, USA. ' 101 The City Drive South, UCIrvine Medical Center, Orange CA 92868, USA. ' School of Medicine, Stanford University, USA

Abstract: Some advocates of globalisation argue that a free market with little regulation is the best approach for achieving cost-effective healthcare. Healthcare, however, is different from other business activities in that it is typically less profit-driven; instead, it often involves the goal of providing equitable care to the underprivileged. Traditionally, the government has subsidised the expenses of delivering affordable healthcare to underserved communities. Because of the many recent advances in telecommunications technology, telemedicine has gained increasing attention. Teleradiology, in particular, is by far the maturest of all telemedicine disciplines and, thus, it may serve as a pivotal indicator of whether telemedicine on a global scale is feasible or not. In this paper, a prediction of the future landscape of globalised teleradiology operations is attempted based on the extrapolation of the historical trends in teleradiology practice as well as the growing pressure on federal and local governments to reduce their regulatory power under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS).

Keywords: e-healthcare; globalisation; equitable healthcare; regulation; outsourcing; nighthawk reading service; telemedicine; teleradiology; electronic healthcare.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEH.2008.022666

International Journal of Electronic Healthcare, 2008 Vol.4 No.3/4, pp.290 - 298

Published online: 24 Jan 2009 *

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