In this RSNA 2025 interview, Dr. Michael Coords shares how his path from orthopedic surgery to diagnostic radiology shaped the way he approaches cardiac imaging today. Dr. Coords explains how cardiac imaging—including CT, MRI, echo, and ultrasound—can help evaluate heart anatomy, coronary artery disease, and cardiac function. He also discusses why his work has increasingly focused on CT imaging, driven by greater access to care, advances in plaque analysis, and improved post-processing tools. At the heart of his message is a powerful idea: coronary artery disease is often preventable when detected early and managed appropriately. Dr. Coords speaks to the importance of access, education, collaboration with clinicians, and building a cardiac imaging program that helps patients receive the information they need before a major cardiac event occurs.
Transcript
0:00 I actually started off my career in orthopedic surgery.
0:02 Um, so I didn't learn about radiology until my fourth year in medical school.
0:08 When I learned about radiology, I like the technology.
0:10 I liked having the answers and being able to answer that clinical question.
0:13 What's going on with this patient?
0:15 So, I actually did a year of orthopedic surgery.
0:17 I decided, you know what, I'll always regret if I didn't do radiology.
0:21 So, I went back into the match and went into diagnostic radiology.
0:27 My time in ortho got me very comfortable with the operating room.
0:30 During my training for cardiac imaging, when I would read cases and if this patient went to have a cardiac cath or a bypass or a stent, something interventional, I would go with that patient.
0:41 So, I would get that immediate feedback that other people might not have gotten.
0:45 So, I'm very thankful that my career started off that way and where I wound up.
0:51 I do cardiac imaging, which is looking at the heart via different means — CT scans, MRI, echo, ultrasound, things like that.
1:00 This can help evaluate different anatomy, coronary artery disease function.
1:03 My career has really drifted more towards CT imaging just due to access to care, advances in plaque analysis, and other post-processing.
1:13 Knowing that coronary artery disease is preventable, that when you do have it, you could catch it early and manage it for life, and we're not doing it.
1:22 That it's been a leading cause of death for over a hundred years.
1:28 That for many times, people aren't really even looking for it.
1:33 Knowing that when I see a patient come in and we have their images and I see what's going on — or maybe it's an advanced stage of plaque, or maybe they've had a heart attack that didn't need to happen.
1:46 You need access. You need access to imaging.
1:48 You need coverage and you need education.
1:51 No one company can do that alone.
1:53 We need clinicians. We need medical societies all to work together.
1:56 Um, and we could do it. When Radnet wanted to create the best cardiac imaging program in the country, I knew that was a once-in-a-career opportunity.
2:07 It's really a healthcare company. It's not just diagnostic imaging.
2:08 There are so many parts to what we do that it's incredibly rewarding, knowing that you're not just focused on imaging.
2:17 You're not just focused on the technology side.
2:19 You are bringing everything together for patients in many markets, working with clinicians, getting access to care, helping education.
2:27 There really is no ceiling when it comes to Radnet.
2:32 Knowing that every day we save lives, knowing that you forever change that patient's life that day, providing that information — I can't even describe what that means every day.