Five Questions With: Dr. Terrence McWilliams

Interventional radiology – in which imaging technology is used to assist in a variety of medical procedures – is growing across the country, and since August, Newport Hospital has been actively working to expand the range of these services that it provides.
Through a combination of new and existing partnerships, Newport has added diagnostic angiograms, arterial and venous angioplasty and stenting, abscess drainages and biopsies, and several other new services.
Dr. Terrence McWilliams, vice president for medical affairs, answered questions about the interventional radiology expansion.

PBN: Can you explain what interventional radiology entails?
McWILLIAMS: Interventional radiology is a subspecialty of radiology in which minimally invasive procedures are performed using image guidance. These physicians complete special fellowship training after the standard radiology residency.
The basic concept is to diagnose or treat conditions with the least invasive technique possible. Some of these procedures are done for purely diagnostic purposes, while many others are done for treatment purposes. The images allow the interventional radiologist to guide needles and narrow tubes called catheters to the problem-causing area(s). This minimizes physical trauma to the patient, reduces recovery time, and for some patients, offers treatment that might not otherwise be tolerated.

PBN: How wide a range of interventional radiology services had Newport Hospital offered before, and what led you to expand those offerings?
McWILLIAMS: Interventional radiology is clearly an expanding field that offers a less invasive approach than traditional open surgery techniques for many conditions.
Until recently, Newport Hospital had a single interventional radiologist on staff and a limited scope of services. Other members of the exclusively contracted radiology group performed more superficial image-guided biopsies and drainages. The group recently added a member who just completed a body imaging fellowship and expanded the scope of services offered by the group. In addition, we have had a vascular surgery group that performed minimally invasive vascular procedures such as angiography, angioplasty and stent placement, and other endovascular procedures such as aortic aneurysm grafting.
The new interventional radiology group allows Newport Hospital to more reliably provide many services on an inpatient and outpatient basis. It also performs more complex biopsy and drainage procedures than previously offered and, with the addition of new equipment, will perform services we have not previously been able to provide in our community, such as destruction of certain tumors. The goal is to offer additional services that can safely and effectively be performed close to the patient’s home.

PBN: Are these services being offered in Portsmouth as well, or just at the hospital itself? And what else are you planning to add?
McWILLIAMS: The current and expanded interventional radiology services are available to both inpatients and outpatients at Newport Hospital only, not in our Portsmouth facility. The most immediately planned new service would be minimally invasive destruction of certain types of tumors.

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PBN: What kinds of partnerships are involved in providing these services?
McWILLIAMS: The [previously offered] services are provided by highly qualified members of Newport Hospital’s medical staff. Some services are provided on a contractual basis (such as the exclusive contract with the local radiology group, Aquidneck Radiology), and some services are provided by private practice groups (such as the vascular surgery group, The Center for Vascular Diseases).
The expansion of services involves a new partnership with Rhode Island Medical Imaging, a group that provides these same interventional radiology services at Rhode Island Hospital and The Miriam Hospital. Physicians from this group will be available two days a week initially, with the goal of expanding services based on future demand.

PBN: How does this expansion fit in the context of Newport Hospital’s priorities?
McWILLIAMS: Newport Hospital’s goal in fulfilling its mission of caring for the residents of Newport County is to provide a high-quality scope of services that can safely and effectively meet the community’s medical needs. The range of services offered, or considered for initiation or expansion, are those requested by our medical staff or through direct feedback from the community. If the services reflect our primary mission, we then evaluate them for clinical and economic feasibility before pursuing an implementation plan.
Clearly, certain services are most effectively performed at a higher-level care facility. Newport Hospital does not intend to pursue those types of services because that would not be in the hospital’s or the community’s best interest.

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