In March, RP announced the launch of the Office of the Chief Medical Officer (CMO), naming 13 radiologists to senior executive leadership roles. One newly named Associate CMO is Dr. Vikram Krishnasetty, Associate CMO for Clinical Technology and Data.

Dr. Krishnasetty is a body imaging and musculoskeletal imaging radiologist and Vice President for Columbus Radiology Corp (CRC), where he is the physician lead for operations and assists with regional operations in Ohio. CRC serves practices in Greater Columbus, Cincinnati, Toledo and Northeast Ohio; sites in multiple health systems, including OhioHealth and Mercy/BonSecour; and multiple regional hospitals, including Fairfield Medical Center, Adena Health System and Mercer County Hospital. Prior to entering medical school, Dr. Krishnasetty was a software engineer and Artificial Intelligence (AI) researcher with the Naval Research Laboratories. After graduating from the George Washington University in Washington, DC, with a degree in Computer Science and a focus in AI and Mathematics, he completed his residency at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where he served as Chief Resident. He also completed fellowships in musculoskeletal imaging and body imaging/intervention. Dr. Krishnasetty joined CRC in 2008 and served as Clinical Director of IT for the practice before becoming Vice President in 2013. Columbus Radiology joined RP in 2016.

As Associate CMO of Clinical Technology and Data, Dr. Krishnasetty serves as a physician advisor and liaison to Clinical IT Services; participates and leads IT initiatives as it pertains to clinical applications, integrations and data management; promotes RP’s clinical reporting tools; enhances existing clinical/workflow technologies; supports the IT needs of the growth and business development teams; and advances the integration of IT Services’ business initiatives. In this role, he will serve as the Chair of the IT Clinical Strategy Board as well as a member of the IT Senior Leadership Team, Clinical IT Board and the AI Steering Committee.

We sat down with Dr. Krishnasetty to learn more about his aspirations for RP’s Office of the CMO and his role as Associate CMO for Clinical Technology and Data.

Tell us about your tenure/history with RP.

I started with CRC in 2008 and have been a Vice President since 2013. I also served as CRC’s Director of IT before we joined RP. After we joined RP, I joined the IT Strategy Board, the AI Steering Committee and even served as the Chair of the Clinical IT Board. I officially took on my ACMO role in July 2020.

What attracted you to RP?

Our group chose RP because we believed our values aligned, from offering excellent clinical services to utilizing advancements in technology to being good hospital partners, all to provide the best patient care. Above all, we really shared the same mission – to transform radiology.

How has your experience prepared you for your role as Associate CMO of Clinical Technology and Data?

I have a strong technology background. I have a degree in computer science and worked in AI research for Naval Research Labs. After medical school and during residency, I worked closely with IT to marry my knowledge of radiology and clinical technology. At CRC, I was involved with implementing a unified workflow solution which allowed us to expand significantly, growing CRC from a practice of 20 to 100 radiologists a few years later.

I have experience with integration and growth with a technology mindset. As a practicing radiologist, I utilize the tech but I’m also familiar with the architecture and the terminology. My role will allow me to bridge any gaps between the patient care and the technology we’re using.

What do you want to accomplish in this role?

I would really like to advance our clinical technology and our platforms to prepare us for the next level of growth and scale we are approaching. When CRC joined, RP had 200 radiologists, and now we have 2,000. That obviously brings new possibilities and new challenges. My goal is for our clinical technology to lead the way so we can remain efficient and innovative for a group of our size and scale.

What does the future of radiology look like in 5 years? 10 years? How will RP contribute to that?

I think we will see significant changes in the way we practice radiology, and RP will be leading the way in that. We will rely on evidence-based medicine and share best practices to provide the best patient care. We will also continue to see the advantages of scale as we move forward. Being able to pool resources to meet new challenges, like value-based care and new technology, will allow us to lead in radiology. AI will change the way we practice and make us better radiologists, as we will be able to provide much better care. I believe we must embrace this new tech to advance the best clinical care for patients.

Dr. Vikram Krishnasetty is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Technology and Data at Radiology Partners, a leading physician-led and physician-owned radiology practice in the U.S. For the latest news from RP, follow along on our blog and on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.