For decades, Inview Imaging has been serving patients throughout the Bay Area in northern California.
An integral part of the community, the family-run facility offers trusted and affordable care tailored to meet the unique needs of its patients. Committed to providing the latest in diagnostic care, Inview Imaging continues to evolve its practice, with new services on the horizon. We spoke with Dr. Brad Piatt, owner and lead radiologist, and his son, Spencer Piatt, Vice President & General Manager, to learn more about Inview Imaging’s dedication to providing affordable subspecialized care.
Generations of Trusted Healthcare
A unique contrast to large hospitals that lack a patient-centric focus, Inview Imaging’s 50-year legacy has allowed Dr. Piatt and his family to develop valuable relationships with patients.
“My grandfather was a primary care physician and radiologist in the 30s and 40s and my father started practicing radiology in Oakland in 1969. I then joined him in 1990. While we started very small, we’ve grown our coverage to about a dozen offices and are now seeing the second generation of our patient’s children having babies. So our care is now entering the third generation. To be able to provide that continuum of care is a unique opportunity,” says Dr. Piatt.
With a refreshing approach to diagnostic care, patients new and old can count on a comfortable environment that improves the overall experience.
“We have women who have been coming for mammography services for over 40 years. They initially had their mammograms read by Dr. Tom Piatt, my grandfather, and for the last 20 years, by Dr. Brad Piatt, my father. That’s not a common occurrence across the country,” says Spencer Piatt. “To be able to go the same center and have the same lineage of physician-care for so long, uninterrupted, offers a special sense of comfort. I think that speaks to the personalized family tradition that we value so much,” says Spencer Piatt.
Commitment to Bring High-Quality and Cost-Effective Care
For much of the population, the cost of medical imaging is daunting. Most patients are unfamiliar with the differences in pricing and are unaware that there are affordable, high-quality options they can opt for.
“Traditionally, patients get a referral from their physician and are told to visit a specific facility. That advice is often blindly followed due to gaps in patient education,” says Spencer. “It is often the case that you pay four or five times the price at a hospital-based facility for an MRI exam than you would down the street at an outpatient facility for the same quality of care. Yet so few patients know that they have that option. We help guide patients on how to dictate their care by seeking out affordable options that still ensure subspecialty interpretations.”
As an independently owned facility, Inview Imaging is able to set cash rates that are much more affordable for those with high deductibles or no insurance.
“Almost all of the other facilities in our area are either hospital-owned or hospital-affiliated and have rates that are significantly higher,” explains Dr. Piatt.
In addition to providing lower rates, Inview Imaging has been working with DocPanel to ensure every patient gets subspecialized care.
“Typically, we operate with 3-5 in-house radiologists onsite. DocPanel provides us access to additional subspecialists that have become a part of our team. We now offer expertise in areas that we haven’t traditionally catered toward. This has allowed us to broaden our area of coverage and open up new modalities,” adds Dr. Piatt. “We’re now getting more patients from groups who were previously light in referrals because we did not have a particular specialist. It also allows us to cater toward larger volumes.”
Expansion to Bring New Modalities
The big project on the horizon for Inview Imaging is a mobile PET CT venture. With very few outpatient nuclear medicine services in the area, this added modality will reshape access to such services.
“We are very excited about our developing relationship with DocPanel and are currently working on a PET CT venture with Dr. Sohi, a member of the DocPanel team. Dr. Sohi and his team would be the interpreting radiologists for PET CT imaging. It’s a service line that we hadn’t previously considered, but are now looking very seriously at because of our relationship with DocPanel,” says Spencer. “This expansion is very important to us, and a big part of our dedication to serving the community.”
Comfort Amidst a Pandemic
While the pandemic has created a level of discomfort, Inview Imaging continues to attract patients with a safe environment.
“You can walk from your car into a small waiting room, with minimal paperwork, and get your exam done quickly. This has always been the case, but especially now, with COVID, it’s a huge relief for people. They don’t have to go through a maze of hallways to get to their procedure. COVID surprised us with some benefits in that regard – more patients electing to visit outpatient centers for screening exams.” says Dr. Piatt.
While the pandemic heavily impacted diagnostic imaging and the entire radiology field, Inview Imaging has been able to weather the storm with its patient-focused approach.
“We’re a family business that has lasted for generations. And our offices operate with that in mind. I think patients pick up on that. When they schedule an appointment, they’re not reaching a call center. They’re speaking with someone that they will then see when they come in. It’s a personalized environment that I think people really appreciate,” says Spencer.
Coordinated Care Patients Can Rely Upon
With unique relationships to medical facilities throughout the Bay Area, Inview Imaging works closely with their physicians and staff on coordinated care.
“We’re not an individual stand-alone outpatient clinic, but we’re also not a national clinic – this allows us to serve across the region that we operate in, while also catering to individual physician groups, clinics, and referring physicians. We’re thus able to build and cultivate relationships by accommodating workflows that some of the larger national facilities either aren’t able to do or aren’t willing to do. We’ve built some really strong relationships that make our quality of care stand out,” says Spencer.
Learn more about Inview Imaging and schedule an appointment here.