Keeping Care Local: Building Collaborative IR Teams in Rural Practice

This Small & Rural Practice Committee roundtable explores how collaborative IR teams can expand access to interventional radiology services and help patients receive care closer to home in rural and underserved communities. Drawing on experiences from diverse rural and community practice settings, the panel discusses how advanced practice providers and other IR team members support continuity of care, referral coordination, inpatient and outpatient management, procedural access, and patient follow-up. 
Through practical examples, panelists examine different approaches to integrating APPs into IR practice, including patient triage, clinic and procedural responsibilities, care coordination, telehealth, and collaboration across the broader healthcare team. The discussion highlights how well-integrated teams can improve efficiency, strengthen patient relationships, extend access to IR services, and support sustainable rural practice while keeping patients connected to care in their local communities. 

Learning Objectives

• Describe the role of collaborative IR teams in expanding rural access to care, including how APPs can support continuity, referral coordination, clinic access, patient follow-up, and selected procedural services. 
• Compare team-based approaches to inpatient and outpatient IR care and identify how clearly defined roles, protocols, and collaboration can improve workflow and allow team members to contribute effectively across the patient care continuum. 
• Identify strategies for keeping IR care closer to home by addressing barriers to care, strengthening patient and referring-provider relationships, coordinating follow-up, and using approaches such as telehealth when appropriate. 

Speakers

Moderated by Elizabeth A. Ignacio, MD, FSIR 

Panelists:

• John F. Burda, MD
• Kara Fitzgerald, MD
• Heather Berge, MS, RA, RT, RPA
• Carrie Hayes, MS, PA