10 Questions with Garry Choy, MD, MBA

Our "10 Questions" series asks the same questions to a diverse group of professionals in the medical imaging community.

Here, we profiled Garry Choy, MD, MBA.

1. Please state your name, title and the organization you work for.

Garry Choy, MD, MBA
Staff Radiologist, Mass General Hospital, Division of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Imaging
Assistant Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO), Mass General Physicians Organization

2. How did you get where you are today?

Inspiring mentors. I have been fortunate to have excellent mentors who have helped guide me in my path to where I am today.

3. Why did you choose your profession?
I chose radiology and medicine in general because of the positive impact one can make and the opportunity to be in a specialty of medicine where technology plays a big role. What I mean by that is as a radiologist and a physician involved with healthcare IT, I can play a meaningful role and make a positive contribution to patient care, as well as play a role in new technology development.

4. What is your biggest day-to-day challenge?

Finding more time! There are lots of exciting projects and opportunities in the world of radiology and information technology.  

5. What worries, if any, do you have about the future of radiology? If none, where do you think the field is going?[[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_crop","fid":"29021","attributes":{"alt":"Garry Choy","class":"media-image media-image-right","id":"media_crop_2610570596672","media_crop_h":"0","media_crop_image_style":"-1","media_crop_instance":"2977","media_crop_rotate":"0","media_crop_scale_h":"0","media_crop_scale_w":"0","media_crop_w":"0","media_crop_x":"0","media_crop_y":"0","style":"border-width: 0px; border-style: solid; margin: 1px; float: right;","title":"Garry Choy, MD, MBA","typeof":"foaf:Image"}}]]

Our best and brightest are steered away from radiology because of fear of reimbursement declines and economic trends related to radiology. However, at the same time, I am optimistic that those who go into our field in challenging economic times have the truest of intentions and go into our field of radiology because they truly love it and will make significant contributions in medical imaging.

6. What one thing would make your job better?

I love my job. Radiologists would benefit from more patient contact and more opportunities to be on the front lines of medicine.

7. What is your favorite thing about radiology?

The innovative culture of radiology. We are the “silicon valley” of medical specialties.  

8. What is your least favorite thing about radiology?

The lack of patient contact. This is why I started to look into developing a patient consultation clinic in our department and am currently evaluating ways we can improve patient-centered radiology.

9. What is the field’s biggest obstacle?

The current challenge I see is economic - declining reimbursements and increasing volume. Could this hamper innovation? Could this take away time from radiologists from research and interacting with our referring physicians/patients?

10. If you could give the radiology industry one piece of advice, what would it be?

Keep innovating and practicing always with patient’s perspective in mind!

Is there someone in the imaging community that you want to hear from?E-mail us their name and we'll ask them 10 questions!

Is there someone in the imaging community that you want to hear from? E-mail us the name and we'll ask them 10 questions!

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