The Six Pillars of Quality in Medical Imaging with Dr. Summer Kaplan

In this episode of Frame by Frame: Rethink Imaging, host Chris St. John sits down with Dr. Summer Kaplan, Associate Professor of Clinical Radiology at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and pediatric radiologist at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Together, they explore the six pillars of healthcare quality, safety, timeliness, efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and patient-centeredness and how these principles shape modern radiology practice. From balancing efficiency with empathy to defining what “effective” imaging truly means, Dr. Kaplan shares how radiologists can deliver care that is both precise and human.

What does “quality” really mean in healthcare and how do you measure it when every patient’s story is unique?

Dr. Summer Kaplan joins host Chris St. John to unpack the Six Pillars of Healthcare Quality, a framework that continues to guide modern medicine two decades after its creation by the Institute of Medicine.

From her vantage point as a pediatric radiologist, Dr. Kaplan explains how these pillars intersect within medical imaging, revealing how safety, equity, and patient-centeredness are not competing goals but interconnected responsibilities.

She shares personal reflections as both a radiologist and a parent, discusses how over-optimization can erode care, and reminds us that effectiveness in imaging isn’t just about getting the “right diagnosis”—it’s about guiding the next best step for the patient.

Whether you’re a clinician, technologist, or healthcare leader, this episode offers a thoughtful look at what it means to practice imaging that’s safe, equitable, and meaningful for every patient.

What You’ll Learn:

How the six pillars of healthcare quality, safety, timeliness, efficiency, effectiveness, equity, and patient-centeredness, apply to modern imaging
Why efficiency has a Goldilocks zone: too little leads to waste, too much leads to burnout and errors
How patient-centeredness extends beyond the patient to include family-centered care, especially in pediatrics
What equity in imaging looks like, from resource distribution to race-based utilization differences
Why effectiveness isn’t always a single diagnosis, it’s directing care down the right pathway
How clinical guidelines can improve outcomes but are often under-used in practice
The challenge of measuring quality in systems built for speed rather than reflection

Chapters:

[00:00] Intro – Defining the Six Pillars of Healthcare Quality

[05:23] Safety – Beyond Dose: MRI Safety and Patient Information

[13:13] Timeliness – Balancing Wait Times, Workload, and Access

[16:45] Patient-Centeredness – Designing Care for Patients and Families

[22:34] Equity – Addressing Geographic, Racial, and Socioeconomic Gaps

[27:41] Efficiency – The Goldilocks Principle in Radiology

[30:28] Effectiveness – When Imaging Guides the Path Forward

[35:18] Challenges – Why Measuring Quality Still Isn’t Easy

[37:43] Closing – Humanity at the Heart of Imaging