How USRad Decides
Which Center Patients See.
Every recommendation is driven by measurable performance — not contracts, relationships, or guesswork. Understand the system. Then compete to win inside it.
Patients don't choose imaging centers. The USRad system does — based on performance. Here's exactly how that works, and how to earn the top position in your market.
Patients Don't Choose.
The System Does.
When a patient searches for imaging on USRad, they see a ranked list of centers. The top result carries a recommendation. That recommendation is determined by a composite score — calculated from five measurable performance signals — not by who signed up first or who pays more.
Patient Layer
Searches for imaging · generates demand signals · books appointment
USRad Intelligence Layer
Scoring engine · pricing intelligence · demand signals · "Best Fit For You" routing
Provider Layer
ACR-accredited centers · competitive pricing · appointment availability · experience ratings
The Key Insight
USRad is not simply connecting patients and imaging centers. It is the intelligence layer between them. That layer is where the platform creates value — and where provider performance determines patient volume.
What the System
Measures.
Five factors influence recommendation placement. Each is measurable, improvable, and within your control. Price is the strongest signal. Every factor compounds.
Price Competitiveness
Strongest SignalHow your cash-pay rate compares to local market pricing
Centers priced competitively within their local market receive the strongest positive signal. The benchmark is your regional market — not a national average. A center priced at $267 in a $310 market earns meaningfully better placement than the same rate in a $250 market.
Geographic Proximity
Distance from the patient's search location
Proximity is measured relative to the patient's search ZIP. Closer centers score higher — but proximity is weighted against market density. A center 8 miles away in a rural market may score equivalently to one 2 miles away in a dense urban area.
Appointment Availability
Historical scheduling performance — how quickly patients get scheduled
USRad does not have real-time access to your calendar — and doesn't need it. The system evaluates your historical scheduling turnaround: how long, on average, between assignment receipt and patient appointment. Consistent, fast scheduling earns a strong signal. This rewards operational reliability — not just open slots. A center that schedules predictably and rarely cancels outperforms one with more capacity but inconsistent follow-through.
Patient Experience
Aggregate satisfaction from verified USRad patients
Ratings are collected post-appointment from verified USRad patients only — not self-reported or third-party reviews. Scores are weighted by recency and volume. A minimum threshold of verified ratings is required before experience scores influence placement — so new centers are never penalized for having no history. You start clean and build a signal the system trusts over time.
Clinical Accreditation
ACR accreditation status — required for network participation
ACR accreditation is required to join the USRad network. It also contributes a baseline quality signal to the composite score. Accreditation confirms the clinical quality standard that patients expect — it is the floor, not the ceiling, of quality signaling.
This Is What Happens
When You Win.
When a patient searches for imaging, one center earns the primary recommendation. This is the exact format they see — your performance score translated into patient confidence.
Consistent Performers
Win More Often.
Recommendation exposure is distributed across high-performing centers in each market — not concentrated in a single winner. Centers that maintain competitive performance across all signals receive the highest frequency of recommendations. And performance can always improve, which means your position can always rise.
Top performers
Highest recommendation frequency in their market
Strong competitors
Regular recommendation exposure — steady patient volume
Active participants
Periodic exposure — volume grows as performance improves
Designed to Reward Improvement
Close competitors within the same performance tier rotate recommendations. A center with a slightly lower score still receives patient exposure — and improving performance moves you up. The system rewards consistent quality, not just early entry.
Performance Determines
Everything.
Every signal feeds directly into recommendation frequency, which determines patient volume. This is not theoretical — it is the mechanics of how USRad distributes demand across the network.
Score Improves
Price, availability, experience signals strengthen
Placement Rises
Higher composite score = more frequent recommendation
Visibility Increases
More patients see your center as their top match
Volume Grows
More assignments routed to your scanner
Price
Strongest single lever
Speed
Scheduling reliability
Quality
Patient experience
How to Improve Your Position
Lower your price relative to your local market
The benchmark is regional, not national. Know where you stand.
Improve scheduling turnaround
Faster, more consistent scheduling earns a stronger signal over time.
Deliver a high-quality patient experience
Verified ratings accumulate and compound — every appointment counts.
Maintain consistent operational performance
Reliability across all signals is more valuable than excelling in one.
First In Locks
Market Position.
Founding centers that price competitively at launch establish the performance baseline in their market. That baseline becomes the benchmark that later entrants are measured against. Before competition is fully established, your performance defines the market. The advantage is structural — not a promotion, not a preference, not temporary favoritism.
Establish the price floor
Your rate becomes the market benchmark. Later entrants price against you.
Accumulate performance data first
Scheduling history and patient ratings build before competitors enter your market.
Position established at launch
When the recommendation engine goes live, founding centers begin from a stronger starting position.
Market Capacity
Once a market reaches founding capacity, standard partner terms apply and performance-based competition determines placement from day one.
Scroll through the factors to see how each signal builds your score.
Want to see this applied to your actual market? View your territory →
The Patient Experience
What a Patient Sees
When You're the Answer.
Your performance score translates directly into this — the primary recommendation that patients see when searching for imaging in your market.
Midtown Imaging Center
Orlando, FL · 2.4 miles away
$267.30
MRI Knee · All-inclusive
Why this center ranks highest
Other Options Nearby
This is a representative example. Actual results vary by market and performance signals.
Founding Centers Establish
Position Before the Market Fills.
In the early market, positioning is not earned.
It is established. The first centers in each market define the standard others
must compete against.
Once that standard is set, visibility is driven by performance — not entry timing. New centers don't shape the market. They compete within it.
Founding slots are limited by design.
No volume commitments · ACR-accredited centers · $0 to join