Society of Interventional Radiology (SIR) President Saher S. Sabri, MD, FSIR, has authored a column that clarifies what the specialty’s practitioners and procedures can bring to the table for hospitals, ASCs and, ultimately, patients.
“Interventional radiology [IR] has long understood its value: solving complex clinical problems with less invasive treatment and improved outcomes and cost of care,” writes Dr. Sabri. “Yet our value is too often understood anecdotally, measured incompletely or framed by others. As healthcare continues to evolve, SIR has an opportunity and responsibility to define IR’s future on behalf of the patients, practices and systems we serve.”
Dr. Sabri writes that, “to meet this moment,” SIR has partnered with consultancy triLumen Health Partners to “develop a strategic roadmap for identifying, quantifying and supporting the value of IR” that will help it “articulate what makes IR essential today, anticipate how the market is changing, and build the infrastructure members need to thrive across diverse practice settings now and in the future.”
Dr. Sabri writes that the value of IR is typically measured by facilities and systems in terms of IR practitioners’ role as proceduralists rather than as “longitudinal clinicians,” and notes “that incomplete model affects reimbursement, resource allocation, service-line planning and institutional influence.”
He writes that the project intends to clarify IR’s “unique value proposition,” distinguish itself “from diagnostic radiology and across clinical practice,” explain where the market is heading, and specify how “technology, regulation, competition, workforce dynamics and practice patterns” will shape the specialty over the next decade.
Dr. Sabri writes that “according to market interviews, stakeholders already believe IR is valuable; 87% of payers rate IR superior on total episode cost; 90% of health system leaders rate IR as good or excellent; 73% of payers rate IR as superior on outcomes and safety; and 94% of practicing IRs describe IR as delivering significant value to their department. At the same time, the findings reveal a critical gap: IR may be viewed as strategically important while still being treated operationally as a support function…If IR is recognized for its value but not positioned as a service line, growth engine or clinical partner, then the specialty’s contributions may not translate into reimbursement, resources, autonomy or influence.”
He adds that “SIR’s role is to build the infrastructure that converts belief in IR’s value into measurable action,” and outlines a roadmap for its members and the specialty “organized around five pillars”:
“The value of IR is not in question,” concludes Dr. Sabri. “The work ahead is to define it clearly, measure it consistently and communicate it persuasively, so that the specialty’s proven value is reflected in the decisions that shape patient access, practice sustainability and the future of medicine.”
