Community Medical Center Joins in Partnership with Radiology Partners

As of June 15, 2016, Radiology Partners (RP) has officially joined Community Medical Center in San Angelo.

RP is the largest on-site radiology practice in the United States. They are a multi-state hospital-based practice, with more than 220 radiologists serving in over 140 hospitals and imaging centers nationwide. RP has reached over seven states including:

• Georgia
• Illinois
• Indiana
• Kentucky
• Ohio
• Oklahoma
• Texas

RP was established in 2012 by a partnership that formed between New Enterprise Associates and the executive team of RP.

Dr. Byron Christie was approached by RP, and joined the practice July 1 of 2013. Dr. Christie had also established his own radiology group called Eagle Imaging.

Christie explained, “I moved to Oklahoma and started my own radiology practice, which over 12 years grew to what it is now.”

Before moving to Oklahoma, Christie began his radiology career here in San Angelo.

“I have worked in San Angelo from 1997 to 2004," he said. "I started my career here after I finished my training. I was the radiologist at Community [Medical Center] for seven years; I left to start my own radiology group in 2004. Our group [Eagle Imaging] has been with [RP] pretty much the whole time through their whole growth stage."

Christie added that Community Medical Center officials called him about a year ago and said they were interested in looking at his group to provide services.

He said, “They called us and interviewed us. They were looking for a radiology group to come in and provide radiology services that they needed.”

While at Community Medical Center, RP will strive to provide consistent, high-quality care to patients, while delivering enhanced value to the hospitals, clinics, imaging centers, and referring physicians that they serve.

“The best way to describe what radiology practices do is to, in general, provide professional services,” Christie explained. “In the case of radiology, that means [we give] interpretative services, such as reading X-Rays, MRIs, Cat Scans, and Sonograms, [as well as] performing interventional radiology services, which is another part of what a radiology group does. Interventional radiology would be minimally invasive procedures that use X-Ray guidance.”

As of now, Christie noted, “We have a team of three radiologists here in San Angelo, and we are still looking for a fourth.”

Speaking for RP, Christie concluded, “We are extremely excited to be here and very grateful for the opportunity; and we look forward to a beneficial partnership with San Angelo Community Medical Center. We look forward to serving our fellow citizens of the Concho Valley.”