Radiology Optimization Specialist, Optimal Readings, Secures Growth Funding

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., July 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Optimal Reading Services Group, Inc., a provider of optimization services for radiology, announced today that it has completed its first round of institutional financing. Already, operating throughout the Southeast in hospitals and radiology groups, Optimal Readings will use this investment to expand its service offerings and market territories, building on its rapid success and market acceptance. The growth capital will allow the company to implement even more broadly its optimization services designed to improve patient care for its clients through faster, higher quality radiology interpretation processes and results.

"Optimal Readings was created to fill a supply gap not addressed by existing teleradiology companies," said Dr. Neal Templeton, Chief Medical Officer for Optimal Readings. "We exist to help physicians and facilities improve patient care, including helping radiologists in their local communities augment their own capabilities. The Optimal Readings solution is focused on optimizing radiology care, not merely moving medical images around and generating a report."

The funding round was led by Health Enterprise Partners (HEP), a Cain Brothers affiliate that has relationships with leading academic and community healthcare centers, healthcare payers, medical device and equipment companies, information technology companies and providers of outsourcing solutions to the healthcare industry. "We believe Optimal Readings is taking advantage of a "perfect storm" in radiology to create significant improvements in the teleradiology marketplace. With the deluge of digital medical imaging, hospitals and related radiology services cannot keep up with the workload demands much less provide these services in an optimized fashion," said Robert Schulz of HEP. "The management team of Optimal Readings understands and is poised to provide differentiated offerings in an underserved and growing market."

The Optimal Readings management team is comprised of individuals with deep healthcare and IT experience. Dr. Templeton is the former president and chairman of the American College of Radiology and is a current trustee and chairman of the finance committee for Baptist Health System. He led Birmingham Radiology Group for more than 15 years. Craig Parker, Optimal's CEO, has had senior leadership roles in several software and services companies, most recently serving as executive vice president of Emageon Inc., an enterprise medical imaging software company. Optimal's operations team has over 50 years of experience with imaging systems, radiology processes, and includes a former President of American Hospital Radiology Administrators Association.

About Optimal Readings

Optimal Readings provides services to optimize and improve the quality of radiology services for patient care in hospitals and radiology groups. Optimal Readings' features access to experienced radiologists for full and after-hours coverage, credentialed specialists, high-end medical image analysis technology and proven patient-centric quality methods. Through workload re-balancing and technologically-enhanced processes, Optimal Readings enables healthcare delivery organizations to interpret an increased volume of radiology studies with accelerated turnaround and minimal operational costs. Optimal Readings constructs tailor-made radiology study interpretation services, integrates on and off-site clinical staffs and implements a comprehensive system design to maximize patient care in a cost-effective approach. For more information on Optimal Readings, visit http://www.optimalreadings.com/.