Solis Women's Health: The Picture of Health - Health Executive - RedCoat Publishing - Inside Healthcare

It is fairly well known that breast cancer is the most common type affecting American women. For Solis Women’s Health, a three-year-old company exclusively dedicated to women’s breast imaging services, making the diagnostic process easier and more convenient for patient and physician is the key to reducing that number.

“By establishing our community-based screening facilities networked around centers of excellence, we can improve access and the quality of care for women,” said Brad Hummel, CEO.

The building blocks
Solis’ roots go back 25 years to the formation of a radiology practice in Dallas specifically dedicated to breast imaging. It was started by Dr. Tim Freer, a pioneer in the subspecialization of breast imaging at the start of the mammography era. That practice grew to five locations in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area before being acquired in 2005 by the financial backers behind Solis.

Brad Hummel, CEO

“The idea was for the company to be an extension of Dr. Freer’s model on a national basis,” said Hummel. “Through systematic consolidation and deployment of digital technology, we put together the first national network of breast imaging and breast cancer diagnostic facilities.”

Solis identified five multistate regions in the US it is interested in pursuing. Currently, the company has facilities in Arizona, Texas, and North Carolina. Typically, entrance into a market starts with a practice acquisition in a core market. Using its Arizona experience as an example, Solis acquired BenOra Imaging in early 2008. Based in Phoenix, BenOra is a 25-year-old breast imaging practice with three resident physicians. That purchase secured the company’s place in the market, and from there the company will use a combination of new practice development and acquisition to increase marketshare.

In fact, the company recently acquired MedTech Mammography, a screening business with seven locations in Greater Phoenix and three in Tucson. Currently, Solis is imprinting its model on MedTech, integrating each site into its radiology information system.

Information technology is central to the Solis business plan and one of the differentiators separating it from facilities still in an analog world. Hummel said it isn’t enough to just purchase a digital acquisition device. Companies need the IT infrastructure to store images and convert prior images from analog to digital. Building and maintaining this capability is neither easy nor inexpensive. Knowing this, Solis allocates financial resources so it can invest heavily in IT, the backbone of its network of companies.

“Physicians don’t want one foot in the digital world and one in analog, so any time we acquire or develop a new site, we have to invest in new technology,” Hummel said. “That isn’t something individual practices can do easily.”

Through its investments, Solis is making screening mammography convenient to where women live and work. The company believes the breast imaging process should provide patients who need additional diagnostic work with a care continuum in line with its own high level of efficiency, providing a medical record and entire patient file in digital format, allowing for a consistent approach to care.

By electronically linking its complexes, images from screening-only facilities can rapidly be transmitted and read by specialized breast radiologists. Women can take solace in the fact that their exam will result in a high quality interpretation, and, in the event they need a follow up exam, they can easily and quickly be scheduled into a nearby Solis comprehensive breast center.

Creating distinctions
Outside of technology, one central concern is recruiting and retaining radiologists who are fellowship-trained breast imagers. Solis wants only those who have gone above a radiology residency to an additional stage of breast imaging fellowship. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but each of those physicians practiced in the breast space for around 25 years. When they were training, no fellowship was available.

Physicians, not the corporate office, lead clinical operations. Solis provides its physicians with solid processes and advanced technology, and the physicians deliver high quality medicine. Doctors have complete autonomy when it comes to care decisions, while Solis gives them support with administrative and centralized functions in areas like billing and accounting, scheduling, purchasing, and financial controls. Solis also provides its physicians with extensive mammography audit statistics from its information system, allowing the physicians to benchmark against best practices.

“These are dedicated, experienced breast radiologists, and we’ve been effective in recruiting them because they like the fact that this is all we do,” said Hummel. “We are dedicated to breast imaging, allowing them to focus on their specialty area of interest.”

Human resource concerns go beyond radiologists. In the company hierarchy, leadership and experience are critical. The company didn’t want to get caught up with too much leadership training, so its business development team’s average age is 50 years old with 20-plus years in diagnostic imaging. At the allied level, Solis developed relationships with technologists whose goals and objectives match its own. Hummel said there haven’t been too many issues in that arena, as the Solis business model and financial incentives appeal to prospective employees.

As the company continues to establish a solid foundation in its target markets, it is taking a long-range view of its particular healthcare niche. The company understands that the traditional method of women being referred for a mammography by their PCP is changing. Referrals are unnecessary for a screened mammogram, as women can choose to go on their own for a wellness exam.

Lastly, although hospitals, OB/gyn offices, and independent imaging centers have mammography capabilities, many are still analog. They are not designed to operate with the same throughput efficiencies Solis has, nor are they specialty focused. Solis believes this is an important differentiator that will ultimately play dividends in every market.

“Other providers don’t ultimately offer the same product and service. Our approach is to be aware of trends in the industry and have the right systems in place so we can market ourselves to PCPs and women,” Hummel said. “This two-pronged approach informs and educates physicians and the general public as to the benefits of our services.”

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