by
John R. Fischer, Senior Reporter | November 22, 2021
From the November 2021 issue of HealthCare Business News magazine
Another factor is the expanding role of AI, which is likely to change how radiologists practice. As many older radiologists are not as computer savvy as younger radiologists, this technological shift may spur earlier retirement, says Filippi. He adds, however, that the “overwhelming” nature of AI also makes some younger radiology students hesitant to pursue the profession for fear of job insecurity.
“It is not unreasonable to imagine that increasingly sophisticated AI programs may be developed that can read certain imaging exams as well as radiologists, so that there may be a need for fewer radiologists in the future,” he said.
Higher than normal imaging
With hospitals and practices short on radiologists, managing imaging workloads can be difficult, even among organizations relying on additional outside help, says Sandy Coffta, vice president of client services for Healthcare Administrative Partners. “Some of the teleradiology companies being leaned on to pick up this extra volume are short-staffed. We have seen a couple of examples where the teleradiology company has said, ‘Sorry, we can’t add any volume to your service for the next three to six months.’”
These volumes are higher than normal and continuing to grow, as radiologists juggle exams delayed by the pandemic with new patients. As a result, imaging providers nationwide are being forced to play catch-up in the face of large backlogs and heavier workloads. Further complicating matters, delays in imaging have resulted in patients coming in with more advanced disease states that may have been easier to treat in earlier stages had they been seen then, says Rao. “The complexity of cases has gone up. That definitely has had an impact on all the physicians, not just radiologists.”
As always, there is pressure on radiologists to utilize imaging appropriately and only administer exams that are deemed clinically necessary. “We need to improve access for patients,” says Rao. “We need to do a good job of managing utilization so we are doing only medically indicated appropriate studies and reducing waste to the system to control cost.”
At the same time, discussions around value-based care are taking place, but not enough has been done to establish best practices for diagnosis in radiology, says Filippi. “We do need to think carefully about this because you can’t just continue to image people 24/7. It’s not cost effective and it may not actually be better for patient care.”
While delays and cancellations in costly procedures have contributed to the financial strain on radiology practices, they are a symptom of a shift in patient behavior. Many patients, for instance, are now inclined to visit the urgent care for their imaging needs rather than a hospital, says Coffta. “Due to Covid, they are deciding that the ER isn’t the place to be. They say, 'Maybe I’ll go to urgent care and call my doctor in the morning.' Things that in 2019 would have been a 'no question' ER trip maybe aren’t now.”
