Move over vampires, zombies, and speed demons: radiologists are the newest stars in the “Hollywood of the South.” A creative partnership with the American College of Radiology (ACR) not only put Emory Radiology faculty in the spotlight, it also turned on the production talents of Emory’s Communications and Creative Services team.

The new video is a case study of Emory’s novel embedded clinic model and debuted in September online as part of the ACR’s Imaging 3.0™ project. Imaging 3.0™ promotes ways radiologists can take the lead in shaping America's future health care system. Its case studies highlight innovative patient care through radiology and imaging sciences.

ACR initially approached Emory in late winter through Richard Duszak, MD, Emory Radiology’s professor and vice chair for health policy and practice, who also is a fellow of the ACR and currently serves as vice speaker of the ACR Council and as a member of the Board of Chancellors.

“I thought this was an excellent opportunity to deepen our relationship with ACR while also showcasing the incredible talent of our in-house communications team,” says Dr. Duszak.

He connected the ACR’s Chris Hobson, senior communications manager for Imaging 3.0™, with Emory Radiology’s Communications and Creative Services team. Camille Dingle, MBA, communications project manager, managed the project while Kevin Makowski, RBP, senior multimedia developer, handled videography, editing, and production.

“There are so many ins and outs when doing a production like this,” says Camille Dingle. “Not only do you have to deal with the normal aspects of video production, you also have to be concerned about regulations like HIPAA to protect patient confidentiality, and you have to find the right dates that work for everyone to be on camera.”

Scheduling was a significant challenge. The video emphasizes the collaborative nature of the Head and Neck Clinic at Emory University Hospital Midtown, where radiologists and otolaryngologists collaborate in diagnosing and planning treatment for cancers and other conditions of the head and neck. That meant scheduling camera time for a cast of twelve, starting with head and neck neuroradiologists Pat Hudgins, MD, FACR, professor and director of head and neck radiology, and Ashley Aiken, MD, associate professor of radiology and imaging sciences. Next were Douglas Mattox, MD, professor and William Chester Warren, MD Chair of the Department of Otolaryngology, and Mihir Patel, MD, assistant professor of otolaryngology. The film also featured two patients, along with neuroradiology fellow Sheila K. Mohan, MD, Dr. Duszak, Emory Radiology Chair Carolyn Meltzer, MD, FACR, and Jonathan Lewin, MD, FACR, executive vice president for health affairs, Emory University; president, CEO, and chairman of the board of Emory Healthcare; and executive director of Woodruff Health Sciences Center.

Having Emory leadership involved in the video project was vital. “It’s important to show how the embedded clinic model has support from all levels of Emory leadership,” explains Dr. Meltzer. “We really believe the model represents the best kind of patient experience, which is why it’s such an important case study for ACR to feature.”

Another challenge was finding times to shoot in the exam and reading rooms of the Head and Neck Clinic. Having shot video and still photography for Emory Radiology for eight years, Kevin Makowski is an expert at carefully framing shots and discretely placing cameras so they capture the action without compromising clinical operations.

It took three days to shoot the primary video plus B-roll (background scenes and the like). As with any production, filming was just the beginning. Those three days were followed by nearly four months of post-production work. That meant editing and processing to maximize video and sound quality plus adding graphics and transitions so the narrative followed the storyboard crafted by ACR’s Chris Hobson.

“We were in touch with ACR almost constantly during the final stages of production,” Camille says. “We wanted to make sure we delivered exactly what ACR wanted.”

The ACR appreciated the collaboration. “It was a pleasure working with Camille and Kevin,” says Chris Hobson. “From the very beginning they were enthusiastic collaborators, dedicated to conveying Emory Radiology’s impressive achievements to the radiology community and beyond.”

“We hope this is the beginning of a new line of work for us,” says Camille. “We have the expertise and look forward to the next project that advances not only Emory Radiology, but also radiology and imaging sciences as a whole.”

The embedded Head and Neck Clinic is featured in two case studies in the Imaging 3.0™ series: Redesigning Care: https://www.acr.org/Advocacy/Economics-Health-Policy/Imaging-3/Case-Studies/Patient-Engagement/Redesigning-Care

Results Realized: https://www.acr.org/Advocacy/Economics-Health-Policy/Imaging-3/Case-Studies/Patient-Engagement/Results-Realized ■