San Antonio hosts radiology shakeup

There’s a bit of a shuffle taking place in San Antonio in the world of radiology. Two major radiology companies are undergoing a merger and acquisition.

South Texas Radiology Imaging Centers created a joint venture with South Texas Radiology Group and the Methodist Healthcare System. And now South Texas Radiology Group is acquiring Radiology Associates of San Antonio’s nine imaging centers as well as the company’s doctors in a deal that will be finalized come March.

“All the radiologists from Radiology Associates of San Antonio have an opportunity to move over to South Texas Radiology Group,” said Dennis Fine, administrative director for Radiology Associates of San Antonio.

Not all of the radiologists are moving over, but that’s their choice, he said.

Radiology Associates’ imaging centers had been affiliated with Christus Santa Rosa Health System until June. Christus Santa Rosa decided to affiliate with Dallas-based radiology group RadCare instead.

“The merger/acquisition was not motivated by events with Santa Rosa,” Fine said.

Radiology Associates of San Antonio and South Texas Radiology Group started discussing the deal in December 2008, before Christus Santa Rosa decided to go in another direction. In February 2009 Christus Santa Rosa approached Radiology Associates of San Antonio and said they wanted to terminate their affiliation, Fine said.

RadCare will have radiologists onsite in San Antonio but will get their subspecialty cases read at other locations. So there’s a mixture of onsite and teleradiology going on, Fine said.