Clinical operations management in radiology.

Providing radiology services is a complex and technically demanding enterprise in which the application of operations management (OM) tools can play a substantial role in process management and improvement. This paper considers the benefits of an OM process in a radiology setting. Available techniques and concepts of OM are addressed, along with gains and benefits that can be derived from these processes. A reference framework for the radiology processes is described, distinguishing two phases in the initial assessment of a unit: the diagnostic phase and the redesign phase.