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. Byron Christie, Associate CMO for Integration.

Dr. Christie is a diagnostic and interventional radiologist for Eagle RP, which serves multiple hospitals in Texas and Oklahoma. Dr. Christie founded radiology group Eagle Imaging, the inaugural practice to partner with RP in 2013. He served as president of Eagle RP until 2019, when he transitioned to president of the RP SEAL team. Dr. Christie also served as Chairman of the RP President’s Council before taking on his role as Associate CMO for Integration. He earned his medical degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, completed his internship in surgery at University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, Texas, and completed his residency at Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, Texas.

As Associate CMO for Integration, Dr. Christie will continue to serve as President of the RP Seal Team; develop standard processes for new practice sites as they go-live; and partner with the RP sales team to determine correct diligence processes on new site sales.

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

Tell us about your tenure/history with RP.

It has been great to see the blooming of RP from eight radiologists to more than 1,700. Early on we were small, but we thought big. There was a great sense of shared mission and purpose, and, though we’re only getting started, it is so gratifying to have been a part of what we’ve done so far!

What attracted you to RP?

My partners and I had recognized the need to align ourselves with a like-minded organized to leverage our capabilities and take part in a transformational effort.

How has your experience prepared you for your role as Associate CMO for Integration?

I had the good fortune to grow a practice from a one radiologist operation up to a mid-sized practice of eight radiologists prior to joining RP. Through hard work and the catalyst of RP, we tripled in size, and I gained a ton of integration experience.

What do you want to accomplish in this role?

I plan on continuing to refine the integration process by helping bring new sites live and helping radiologists succeed in our great practice.

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

The next 5-10 years will see continued consolidation, a greater need for sub-specialization and more emphasis on the practice of evidence-based medicine. RP’s massive investments in scientific teams and tech and our prescient preparation toward these goals position us to lead the way!

Dr. Byron Christie is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Integrations 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.

In March, Radiology Partners 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. Syed Zaidi, Associate CMO for Integration.

Dr. Zaidi is an interventional radiologist and serves as one of the leaders of the RP SEAL team. In addition, he has held multiple leadership roles in the American College of Radiology (ACR), such as his current role as Chair of Population Health Management Committee for the ACR. Dr. Zaidi has spearheaded national clinical value initiatives that have differentiated RP and led the relationship with Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on recognition of RP as the Exemplary Practice in Radiology in 2019. Prior to joining Radiology Partners, he served as President of Radiology Associates of Canton and founded RadHelp, a startup to develop imaging-based population health management strategies. Dr. Zaidi earned his medical degree from Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City and completed his residency at Mount Sinai Beth Israel in New York City. He completed a fellowship at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, and received his MBA degree from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. He has worked with RP since 2015 and lives in Washington, DC, with his wife and daughter.

As Associate CMO of Integration, Dr. Zaidi will build on his service as part of the RP Seal Team; develop standard processes for new practice sites as they go live; partner with the RP sales team to determine correct diligence processes on new site sales; and lead RP in its growth at new system integrations as well as integrating new practices joining RP.

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

Tell us about your tenure/history with RP.

When I joined in late 2015, RP was still fairly small, with about 200 radiologists. I’ve seen a lot of growth since then, being involved with the RP Growth team and having worked on our clinical initiatives and scaled them nationally as part of the Clinical Value Team. More recently, I’ve been helping to grow RP by serving as a leader of the SEAL team and Integrations.  The SEAL team was formed specifically to help grow RP at new sites and system contracts. We provide both onsite and remote staffing, as well as clinical and operational leadership at new contracts. With the rapid growth that RP has experienced and the demand from health systems for our high-quality services, we needed to support our growth and have a dedicated team of experienced radiologists to lead it. We are developing the dyad model of radiologist and administrative joint leadership across the diverse functions of integrations in order to provide the highest level of service and quality as we grow RP with both practice partnerships and new site contracts.

What attracted you to RP?

In my practice in Ohio, Radiology Associates of Canton, I was leading clinical innovation about how radiology fits into population health management. The system was integrated, and there was a strategy to ensure each specialty fit into population health management initiatives. We collaborated with the system on clinical initiatives like growing interventional radiology (IR), partnering with specialties and elevating ER efficiencies. Based on that initiative, I formed RadHelp, a consulting company to help empower other radiology groups to do this work too. In 2014, it caught the attention of RP leadership who appreciated that we had focused on the clinical value of radiology. So both RAC and RadHelp then joined RP in 2015. The fact that RP has taken on investing in clinical value as a strategic mission ultimately attracted me to RP. I believe strongly that radiologists bring a lot of value to the healthcare system and clinical care coordination, and I know we are able to make an impact on healthcare in the United States with our national scale.

How has your experience prepared you for your role as Associate CMO of Integration?

Prior to RP, working with health systems on co-management and partnering on managing radiology as a service line made up a lot of my experience, which helped us grow our practice. We grew to multiple hospitals and systems and then spanned different systems, so I was experienced with growth and partnering with health systems to grow the radiology care platform. After joining RP, based on my experience, I worked on the Clinical Value Team and the Growth Team. In 2019, I joined the SEAL team, which was a natural fit based on my career path and skillset. As an IR, I’m comfortable being in a hospital-based role, starting new contracts and managing relationships with the health system leaders, and I was comfortable taking on this new challenge as ACMO.

What do you want to accomplish in this role?

Integrations is the glue to how RP grows, and we must manage the integration of every practice partnership and new site. It’s also the key to success in the world of mergers and acquisitions. Often, many organizations are unsuccessful with mergers because they’re not able to manage the integration process well. My goal is to ensure our processes are able to scale to take on more complex system contracts, multi-site hospital systems, etc. I also will ensure our processes are standardized and reliable while still being flexible to adapt to the local situation. We recognize we have to customize some of the local elements, so we will remain nimble and agile. We will successfully integrate new groups to achieve the benefits of scale and prioritize clinical integrations so that we can achieve our goal of clinical value at the national level.

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

In the next 5-10 years, there will be more growth in artificial intelligence (AI) software, expansion of the radiologist’s role in integration of care and population health management and consolidation of the space – not just radiology but payors, hospitals and other key stakeholders. As there is further consolidation, it benefits RP to take advantage of our national scale to make necessary adjustments to allow us to lead in clinical value, AI and the world of population health management. RP will contribute by being the national large-scale provider of radiology while making those adjustments. It’s up to us and other radiology practices to make our role important in integrated care and population health management.

I am optimistic about the future of radiology because of new technology, such as applications like portable imaging. We can actually democratize the use of imaging and increase its adoption to help provide more personalized and precision care and manage that imaging from the home to the hospital. It takes a national practice like ours to take full advantage of the opportunities and be the leader the specialty needs.

Dr. Syed Zaidi is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Integration at Radiology Partners, a leading physician-led and physician-owned radiology practice in the U.S. Follow him on Twitter at @zaidirad. For the latest news from RP, follow along on our blog and on Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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. Raj Shah, Associate CMO for Operations in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Dr. Shah is a neuroradiologist for ARA Diagnostic Imaging serving the Austin, Texas, region. Previously, he has worked with RP Practice Partnerships, and he recently served as treasurer for ARA. Dr. Shah earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas, and also completed his residency at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He completed his fellowship at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Dr. Shah joined RP in 2019.

As Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma, Raj will serve as a clinical partner to RP’s Senior Vice President of Operations for the region, including supporting implementation of clinical programs, IT and AI tools; resolving clinical issues within their respective regions; assisting with operating, client and radiologist issues; and serving as a resource for Practice Presidents in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

We sat down with Dr. Shah to learn more about his aspirations for RP’s Office of the CMO and his role as Associate CMO of Operations for Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Tell us about your tenure/history with RP.

ARA joined RP in 2019. Right away, I started working with the Practice Partnerships team, which was a great exposure to the structure of RP while focusing on new partnerships. RP’s mission and vision are intrinsically compelling, and it is exciting when like-minded radiologists and practices want to be a part of this journey. Whether we like it or not, healthcare is changing, and I believe RP has a superb team to help execute our mission to transform radiology and lead the change in the specialty.

What attracted you to RP?

We liked the leadership and the clear communication and execution of a well-defined strategic plan. RP’s leadership team had a reasonable goals for the near-term and was well-suited in thinking of the long-term strategy to position the Practice as a transformative leader. We liked that radiologists were heavily involved in all aspects of the Practice, including on the Board. Compared to some of the other opportunities, RP is walking the walk instead of merely talking about it.

How has your experience prepared you for your role as Associate CMO of Operations?

I have been in leadership locally in Austin since 2010. I believe in the concept of servant leadership and that leaders are most effective when they see their role as serving the organization. My introduction to leadership came when I joined ARA’s IT committee. This was followed by a role on the Executive Committee and eventually as ARA’s treasurer. At ARA, I was lucky to have worked with many experienced leaders and am used to making decisions as part of a team. I think as ACMO, I’ll be able to help make informed strategic decisions, from a clinical, operational and financial perspective.

What do you want to accomplish in this role?

This role involves execution of our strategic goals, both in the near and long term, regionally. I think there are many great leaders at RP practices, and I hope to help coordinate our excellent radiologists and support teammates to achieve our mission of transforming radiology. There are a lot of changes coming – in AI, reimbursement, regulations and policy, aging populations, etc.– I’m excited to help navigate those changes.

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

In five years, we will be using AI more in our practices, and while I’m confident that AI won’t replace radiologists, I know it will be a valuable tool to assist us. As reimbursement, value and industry pressures increase, scale will be really important. At nearly 20% of gross domestic product, healthcare will inevitably change, as the current environment is unsustainable. Most likely, we will see more practices and hospitals joining larger national healthcare organizations.

Dr. Raj Shah is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Operations in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma 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.

In March, Radiology Partners 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. James Lyons, Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the West region.

Dr. Lyons is a vascular and interventional radiologist and currently serves as Chairman of the Southwest Diagnostic Imaging (SDI) LPB, which includes RP Phoenix, RP Valley and RP SMIL. Prior to joining RP, James served as RP Phoenix President for 12 years and was one of three Executive Vice Presidents leading Southwest Diagnostic Imaging during the transition into RP in 2017. Dr. Lyons earned his medical degree from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, Texas, and completed his residency and fellowship at the Western Pennsylvania Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He joined RP in 2017.

As Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the West Region, Dr. Lyons will serve as a clinical partner to RP’s Senior Vice President of Operations of the West region Vijay Vaidya, supporting implementation of clinical programs, IT and AI tools; resolving clinical issues within their respective regions; assisting with operations, client and radiologist issues; and serving as a resource for Practice Presidents within the region.

We sat down with Dr. Lyons to learn more about his aspirations for RP’s Office of the CMO and his role as Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the West Region.

Tell us about your tenure/history with RP.

My local practice was fairly small, and we were looking to scale, so we joined SDI in 2014. However, we wanted to accomplish more, so we started looking for a national partner. The only one that made any sense for the practice was RP.

What attracted you to RP?

In radiology, we see more patients every day than most physicians do in a week, and while we are not always seen directly by patients, we are integral to the healthcare system.  Radiology is the only specialty that gets to participate in a patient’s healthcare from before birth to end of life. I believe RP strives to elevate radiologists in the healthcare system to where we really should be and aims to do something revolutionary and different in our field.

How has your experience prepared you for your role as Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the West Region?

I have been a leader in a practice that has had multiple divisions, which uniquely positions me to have the experience and problem-solving skills to meet the needs of multiple people, teams and groups at the same time.

What do you want to accomplish in this role?

I never do anything small, mediocre or average. I want to make RP the only place that radiologists want to work. If they need to move, I want them to work for another RP practice. It is a big goal, but I think we have the ability to accomplish it. I am afraid people have disconnected from their original purpose of why they practice medicine, and I think RP helps radiologists get re-connected to the excitement and purpose of our roles. RP allows us to make a larger impact.

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

As RP grows, I think we are going to set the standard for radiology in the country. With access to so many technologies and the development of best practices, we can improve lives and reduce unnecessary procedures through imaging. Because of this, radiology will continue to be utilized more and viewed as integral to patient care. I believe RP is making it better for all of radiology, not just for our practice. That is something I appreciate about RP – we’re all radiologists, no matter what practice we are in. It’s not just about RP, but it is about the specialty of radiology, and I am grateful to participate.

Dr. James Lyons is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Operations for the West Region 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.

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. Frank Castellano, Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the Midwest Region.

Dr. Castellano is a diagnostic and neuroradiologist who serves as Practice President for Columbus Radiology in Columbus, Ohio. Additionally, Dr. Castellano serves on the RP Growth Support Board, which collaborates with RP’s support team leaders to consistently assess RP’s practice partnership strategy, stay apprised of competitive landscape and refine RP’s pitch messaging and to promote physician engagement in our partnership process. Prior to being elected as Practice President, Dr. Castellano served on the local practice board (LPB) and as Quality Improvement and Safety Officer. Dr. Castellano earned his medical degree from Wright State University School of Medicine in Dayton, Ohio, and completed his residency and fellowship at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. He joined RP in 2016.

As Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the Midwest, Dr. Castellano will serve as a clinical partner to RP’s Senior Vice President of Operations for the Midwest, Charles McRae, including supporting implementation of clinical programs, IT and AI tools; resolving clinical issues within their respective regions; assisting with operating, client and radiologist issues; and serving as a resource for Practice Presidents within the Midwest region.

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

Tell us about your tenure/history with RP.

I began working with RP in early 2016 as Columbus Radiology explored options of joining a national practice. When Columbus Radiology officially partnered with RP, I began working with the Growth team, serving on the Practice Partnership Support Board. It has been an exciting role that allows me to meet with many practices and other physician leaders, many of whom are now fellow partners in RP. I was one of the early Practice Presidents who worked on establishing our President’s Council, which has grown and improved over the years.

What attracted you to RP?

Without question, I was and remain excited about RP’s vision and commitment to improving clinical outcomes in Radiology by providing resources to our radiologists to better the practice of medicine.

How has your experience prepared you for your role as Associate CMO of Clinical Operations for the Midwest Region?

While serving as president of CRC for the last eight years, our practice in Ohio grew from around 30 radiologists to more than 120, serving in four regions in the state. This growth has come with various operational challenges, and learning from those experiences has prepared me to serve as a resource to other local physician leaders.

What do you want to accomplish in this role?

I am excited to play a role in developing and implementing new and innovative ways that RP can demonstrate clinical and economic value to our patients and clients. Doing this while advancing operational efficiencies to improve the practicing radiologist’s experience is a worthwhile endeavor.

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

I think the next 5-10 years will be an exciting, transformative time in Radiology. Emerging Artificial Intelligence tools will undoubtedly impact our specialty. I believe RP’s ability to leverage our scale will allow our practice to lead in a way that will enable our radiologists to positively impact our patients and the healthcare system as a whole.  This will allow AI to serve as a tool that enhances the role radiologists play in the healthcare continuum, rather than minimize it.

Dr. Frank Castellano is the Associate Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Operations for the Midwest Region 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.