Driving clinical excellence through a management driven framework for integrating nuclear medicine into hospital ecosystems.

Authors

Chuangyan Zhai

Published in

Frontiers in nuclear medicine. Volume 6. Pages 1837305. Epub Jun 15, 2026.

Abstract

Nuclear medicine (NM) often functions as an isolated diagnostic island within hospitals, resulting in the underutilization of high-value molecular imaging resources despite their significant clinical potential. This paper proposes a conceptual management-driven framework, termed the Management-Driven Integration Loop, to break down these silos and integrate NM into the broader hospital ecosystem to potentially enhance clinical decision-making and operational efficiency.
A comprehensive integration framework was developed based on four strategic pillars: strategic resource allocation, process re-engineering, performance leverage, and brand building. The framework introduces specific administrative interventions, including the establishment of satellite workstations to improve clinical proximity, the creation of a Clinical-NM Liaison role to bridge interdisciplinary gaps, and the implementation of a multidimensional Total Performance Index (TPI) to align incentives.
Integration is envisioned through protocol-based clinical pathways embedded in electronic health records and structured Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) collaboration, ensuring NM expertise may inform treatment planning. The framework incorporates a continuous feedback loop to track clinical impact, including diagnostic upstaging and the avoidance of unnecessary procedures. By proposing a shift from volume-based metrics to the TPI, administrators can weight qualitative clinical contributions and interdisciplinary collaboration alongside traditional procedural throughput.
Transforming nuclear medicine into a central strategic asset requires deliberate administrative intervention. While implementation depends on overcoming institutional, technical, and regulatory barriers, this management-driven integration loop aims to bridge the gap between technological potential and clinical impact, improve patient outcomes through precision diagnostics, and strengthen institutional positioning as centers of excellence.

PMID:
42376635
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 30 Jun 2026.

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