Remote Control
By Keith Loria
Radiology Today
Vol. 26 No. 8 P. 10
Ensuring the Safety of Remote MRI Scanning
The challenges facing radiology departments across the country are mounting. A shortage of MRI and CT technologists has left hospitals scrambling to fill positions. In addition, patients increasingly expect care closer to home, and hospitals are under pressure to deliver consistent, high-quality imaging across multiple sites. Those challenges are fueling demand for new digital solutions, according to Joe Papesch, product manager for syngo Virtual Cockpit in the digital and automation segment at Siemens Healthineers.
“The industry is facing significant challenges around staffing. There simply aren’t enough technologists available,” Papesch says. “At the same time, patients want care close to home. Forcing them to travel to unfamiliar or distant facilities creates bottlenecks at main locations and is inefficient when technologists must be driven between sites.”
That challenge has led to an uptick in remote MRI scanning, with hospitals and imaging centers exploring new ways to balance innovation with patient safety and quality of care. The technology promises to extend access to expert imaging services, especially in facilities that struggle to staff experienced MRI technologists, but it also introduces new issues in oversight, workflow, and on-site response. Tobias Gilk, MRSO, MRSE, an MRI consultant and one of the preeminent voices on MRI safety, notes a change to full remote operation can—and should—get everyone to reevaluate how everything in MRI patient care is done, from the routine to the emergent.
“Full remote operation is such a significant change to MRI workflow that it really should prompt a top-to-bottom rethink and not a minimalist ‘What’s the least we can change from the way we’ve always done things?’ approach,” he says. “Does the remote tech work for the institution, or are they an independent contractor? Do we have a single assigned remote tech, or is there a carousel of techs who rotate based on availability and exam-specific skills? When the remote tech has an unexpected finding pop up on the first sequence, do they have a direct line to the radiologist on call, or does the communication go through the point-of-care person? These are just a few of the literal hundreds, or thousands, of workflow questions that need to be considered.”
What’s more, Gilk notes, pulling the MRI technologist out of the facility necessitates the creation of formal job descriptions for these new point-of-care supporting roles, with training and credentialing regimens to make sure that patients and caregivers in the MRI areas are kept safe. “ARRT and ASRT have announced a new registry program, called Imaging Assistant, which they say should be available next year,” Gilk says. “It appears to be specifically designed to train these point-of- care support roles to do everything that an MRI tech does except operate the MRI scanner’s console. Even before these registry/ society initiatives, there have been commercial training programs like Alpha RT, designed to build the competence of MRI tech aides in these areas.”
For the time being, however, there are no standards or structures, and providers who want to start full remote operation of MRI services aren’t required to do anything specific to assure safety or quality of care.
Technological Innovation
At AHRA 2025, United Imaging Healthcare North America unveiled the uOmniscan, which offers all-in configurations and software upgrades for life. “All-in configurations means that we include remote scanning capability, the training platform, and operational performance capabilities with a service support agreement,” says Jeffrey M. Bundy, PhD, CEO of United Imaging Healthcare North America. “With software upgrades for life, we provide customers with investment protection through upgrades that include new functionalities at no additional cost.”
Philips is positioning its MR Cockpit and Radiology Operations Command Center as key solutions for improving imaging efficiency, consistency and access across health systems. Designed as a multivendor, multimodality, and multisite platform, the Radiology Operations Command Center connects imaging experts in a centralized hub with technologists at scan locations in real time, while maintaining safety and security.
“Our Radiology Operations Command Center is a safe and secure remote imaging solution that allows imaging experts to seamlessly interact with scanner-facing technologists remotely through chat, voice, and video,” says Ioannis Panagiotelis, PhD, business leader of MR at Philips. “They can concurrently access scanner console screens without compromising imaging quality, privacy, or security.” The vendor-neutral Radiology Operations Command Center can be used when scanning with other systems besides Philips MR, allowing facilities to integrate the solution across their imaging network, regardless of manufacturer.
Philips emphasizes safeguards to maintain quality and safety during remote operations. Built on a secure platform, the Command Center includes multifactor authentication, end-to-end encryption, and audit trails for every interaction. Remote control can only occur with on-site personnel authorization and supervision, ensuring compliance with HIPAA and General Data Protection Regulation standards. “It allows expert users to onboard and train new users remotely,” Panagiotelis says.
At North Star Diagnostic Imaging in the United States, the solution improved efficiency and reduced reliance on temporary staff. “Now, our best techs can oversee multiple sites from the Command Center,” says Todd Wright, MRI lead technologist. “The image quality is just as strong, and we rely a lot less on temporary staffing.”
Broader Coverage
Siemens Healthineers’ solution is syngo Virtual Cockpit, a software platform that allows technologists to connect remotely and share expertise across an enterprise. From any network-connected location— even a home office—an experienced technologist can access up to three scanners at once, supporting modalities including MRI, CT, PET/CT, and SPECT.
“syngo Virtual Cockpit is a software application that allows technologists to share their expertise across the enterprise from any network-connected location,” Papesch says. “It’s a bit like a virtual over-the-shoulder—someone who can observe, coach, and guide in real time.”
Most customers, he says, start by using the platform for training, mentoring, onboarding, and advanced scans. If a satellite facility rarely performs cardiac MRIs, for example, a remote expert can log in to coach or even conduct the scan. This keeps patients at their local site, reduces wait times, and avoids costly transfers.
After implementing the technology, one health system “saw a 38% increase in cardiac MRI revenue and reduced interhospital patient transfer costs by 95%, saving about $250,000 annually,” Papesch says. “That same site has now performed thousands of remote scans with zero rescans, proving the quality remains high.”
Remote scanning is also changing how imaging centers operate. Some have used it to cross-cover during staff breaks or extend service hours, resulting in up to a 30% increase in weekly procedures. In rural areas, the technology has been particularly valuable, Papesch says.
Shared Expertise
Beyond efficiency, syngo Virtual Cockpit allows senior technologists to continue contributing their expertise without the physical demands of patient-facing roles, while new entrants benefit from structured mentoring. “For technologists, this creates new career pathways,” Papesch says. “Some organizations now even allow technologists to work from home, giving them more flexibility while still contributing their expertise.”
GE HealthCare’s product offering in the category is Imaging 360 Remote, powered by nCommand Lite, a multivendor, multimodality solution that enables remote scanning operations of MRI, CT, and PET/CT equipment by a qualified technologist located offsite. “This solution provides secure remote access for image viewing and review, as well as real-time guidance and support to the licensed technologist operating the compatible scanner on-site,” says Scott Miller, president and CEO of solutions for enterprise imaging at GE HealthCare. “The remote technologist can also initiate scans remotely on MRI systems. Remote access must be granted by the local technologist and is only available on systems that support remote connectivity. Images viewed remotely are not intended for diagnostic use.”
To help to ensure scan quality and patient safety when a technologist operates remotely, nCommand Lite provides remote connectivity capabilities and clearly defined roles, Miller says. “Remote and on-site technologists can communicate in real time via integrated chat, voice, video, and camera feeds, enabling seamless coordination throughout the scan process,” he says. “The system allows an expert remote technologist to support a less experienced on-site technologist during scanning, which can enhance scan quality and could help reduce the likelihood of patient recalls. However, the local technologist remains the primary caregiver and is responsible for patient safety at all times, ensuring compliance with clinical protocols and immediate response to patient needs.”
On-Site Staff
On-site tech aides and imaging assistants need to have the knowledge and competency to do everything that an MRI technologist does, except operate an MRI scanner console. United Imaging recommends having on-site staff to support patient positioning and be present during the examination, while a remote expert can manage tasks performed on the MRI control console and perform the scans.
“We support having a credentialed professional be physically present at all times,” Bundy says. “This provides the best patient experience during an MRI exam, as some patients experience stress and may be helped by having a person present to help them through the procedure. But it also ensures someone is there who’s trained to manage emergencies, especially with regard to adverse reactions and patient safety in general.”
When a technologist is not physically present and an emergency arises, it’s vital to have a plan of action in place. “There are so many examples of urgent or emergent situations in MRI turning catastrophic, most infamously the Michael Colombini MRI fatality in 2001, where the wrong type of oxygen cylinder was brought into the MRI scanner room,” Gilk says. “The necessary preparation for these risks is practice and simulation … and this is true whether the scanning tech is local or remote. We need to identify who has situational responsibilities or authority in the MRI suite and make sure that they’re familiar with the emergency response policies and practices.”
Additionally, the staff needs to practice these scenarios ahead of time so that they’re not floundering in unfamiliar territory when a real emergency happens.
Reengineering Workflow
While remote MRI technology opens new possibilities for extending imaging services to more facilities, its use with higher-acuity patients raises important safety considerations. Gilk notes that patients in the emergency department, ICU, or postsurgical settings—as well as those with active implant devices such as pacemakers or neurostimulators— bring additional complexity to the MRI suite.
“If we have point-of-care tech aides or imaging assistants who wind up being trained effectively for their roles, and if we have clearly delineated workflows and lines of communication, I don’t see that remote scanning would add risk to the MRI care of these patients,” he says. “However, it’s important to note that we don’t currently have requirements for this training or for the development of new workflows. In the absence of those changes I believe that all full remote-operated MRI exams could represent higher risk to patients and health care workers.”
Gilk says personnel training and workflow reengineering are the essential ingredients to ensure patient safety and scan quality in remote MRI environments. “The ARRT and ASRT training outlines appear to be very complete, and would be my current ‘go to’ resources for that piece,” he says. “Particularly for sites that have already dipped their toes in the ‘tech aide’ pool, the workflow reengineering probably represents the bigger challenge. For either or both of these challenges, it’s important to recognize that there are professionals out there who can help facilities with these process adaptations.”
Looking ahead, Papesch believes collaboration between hospitals may be the next frontier. “We may see hospitals offering specialized remote services to external organizations, creating new business development opportunities and revenue streams,” he says. “We’re still in the early stages, but the trajectory is sky high. It’s exciting to be part of this journey and see how the field evolves.”
— Keith Loria is a freelance writer based in Oakton, Virginia. He is a frequent contributor to Radiology Today.