Bridging the Gap in Diagnostic Services
Celebrating 20 Years of Increasing Access, One Ultrasound at a Time
For twenty years, BB Imaging has pursued increased ultrasound access for everyone. In that time, our fantastic team of expert sonographers grew from 1 to 120—and served over 475,000 patients. The crazy thing is, we’re only getting started!
So, as we celebrate our 20-year anniversary this month, let’s pause and understand what exactly making ultrasound accessible means—and the challenges that make it a worthy mission.
We’ll answer:
Who are the underserved, and what challenges do they face accessing ultrasound?
What are three challenges health systems face in providing medical imaging?
How can BB Imaging help patients and health systems overcome these challenges?
1. Underserved patients and accessing diagnostic services
Underserved populations across the United States often share demographic characteristics. When considering access to high-quality sonography care, underserved patients are typically those with low income, those who identify as a minority people group, and/or those residing in rural areas.
It is important to note that the urban-rural conversation in ultrasound revolves primarily around the comparative lack of ultrasound in rural vs. urban communities. However, patients in urban and metro areas do not automatically have access to available ultrasound services, especially when they identify as a low-income or minority person.
Low-income patients
Healthcare is increasingly expensive, sometimes pricing patients out of needed care, including lab tests and diagnostics. While ultrasounds are usually covered by insurance, they can cost $200 to more than $1,000 for uninsured patients and those paying out of pocket.
Additionally, research shows prenatal patients from affluent neighborhoods were 86% more likely to have a second-trimester ultrasound scan than those in a low-income bracket. The authors found similar results when considering non-obstetrical ultrasound, further demonstrating the correlation between economic status and access to diagnostic services.
Minority patients
A 2020 study discovered the use of medical imaging varied when considering patient race and ethnicity. White patients received imaging at 49% of visits compared to non-white patients, who received imaging at only 41% of visits.
A 2023 article from the American Journal of Roentgenology worked to identify the factors behind this gap, concluding at least five factors impede equitable imaging care for minorities, including:
Medical mistrust
Cultural differences
Language preferences
Varying familiarity and comfort with health care systems
Implicit bias from the perspective of the patient and the practitioner
Rural patients
Access to health systems and services is dwindling rapidly for rural patients. Nearly 200 rural hospitals closed in the last twenty years. Another 700, accounting for more than 30% of remaining rural hospitals, are at serious risk of closing due to financial constraints.
Obstetric care, one of the modalities BB Imaging’s sonographers specialize in, is also disappearing from the rural landscape. OB departments are among the first to shut their doors, leaving 52.4% of rural hospitals—and their patients—without accessible pregnancy care.
These closures are alarming. For many rural communities, the hospital acts as the source of primary care for the community and may be the only place where patients can receive diagnostic services.
2. Health systems and providing medical imaging
Like their patients, healthcare facilities are impacted by factors outside their control, resulting in a lack of medical imaging that frustrates both parties. Regarding ultrasound, we identified three important challenges facing health systems today: access to expert sonographers, the cost of ultrasound machines, and low reimbursements for patient care.
Difficulty hiring sonographers
Hiring sonographers is becoming more time-consuming and expensive due to the continuing talent shortage. A ten-year study found that between 2011 and 2021, the number of ultrasound exams increased by 55.1% while the number of practicing sonographers increased by only 43.6%. At least part of the problem can be traced back to small graduation classes. The same study demonstrated that the number of open roles increased by 36.3% while the number of graduates increased by only 23%.
The shortage in talent results in increased workloads (and a higher likelihood of injury) for sonographers in the field. The American Society of Radiologic Technologists found sonographer vacancies increased from 6.9% in 2021 to 16.7% in 2023, and burnout was behind the decision to leave for 25-35% of respondents. Some sonographers choose to leave the field permanently, further exacerbating the shortage and its consequences.
Ultrasound machine cost
In a 2023 study, providers cited access to and the cost of ultrasound machines as two of the top barriers to ultrasound use.
This isn’t surprising, given that point-of-care machines, which are generally the least expensive, haven’t been widely adopted in resource-constrained communities. Entry-level systems come in at $10,000, while their more complex counterparts ring in at $40,000. And if you want a specialized ultrasound machine, you could be looking at a price point of $40,000 to $80,000—or more.
Low reimbursements
Ideally, providing patient care would not be a numbers game, but for many facilities, there’s no way around it.
A recent study by the Harvey L. Neiman Health Policy Institute found Medicaid reimbursement rates and imaging utilization were strongly correlated. In states with lower reimbursement, utilization of imaging tools like CT, MR, and ultrasound were 25-28% lower than in states with higher rates.
Meanwhile, private insurance patients are actually the biggest cause of overall losses for rural hospitals, highlighting the complexity of this problem across varying geographies and demographics.
3. How BB Imaging can help
How can we bridge these gaps? According to 96% of providers, ultrasound improves both quality of care and patient outcomes. We have to find a way to make these vital diagnostic services more available for health systems and patients alike.
Let’s start by getting productive sonographers into health facilities faster. It can take between 36 and 42 days to fill a sonographer role, plus another 12 weeks for them to reach full productivity. BB Imaging wants to handle that for you.
We can recruit a sonographer in as little as 30 days, and we handle all their training and quality assurance, because they remain a part of our team. It’s managed-for-you ultrasound schedule coverage*, by some of the best sonographers in the business. Each one adheres to the highest standards for their modality and is guaranteed to meet or exceed your requirements. Plus, they can work in or float between multiple locations, ensuring all your patients have access to high-quality ultrasound care, whether they’re in the city center or served by an outreach clinic.
Next, we’ll set you up with a high-quality ultrasound machine and bundle the cost into your monthly payments. With BB Imaging, large capital expenditures aren’t necessary, so you can keep your budget available for other initiatives.
Then, let’s make sure you can maximize your billing for medically indicated ultrasounds. The expertise of a highly trained sonographer enables you to perform and charge for higher-level scans, instead of referring patients elsewhere. Our partners have increased their revenue by up to 30% this way, all while providing increased access to patients.
*Our elevated client service includes hiring, training, scheduling, QA, payroll, and benefits for every sonographer we provide to your facility. That means you can spend 2-3x less on overhead expenses for sonographers.