What were the top 10 radiology stories of 2024 in The Imaging Wire? This year’s top 10 list as measured by reader views demonstrates the fascinating new developments going on every day in medical imaging.
- Radiologist Shortage Looms: A July report painted a gloomy picture of the demographic crush facing radiology as the U.S. population ages and imaging volumes rise, but the number of radiologists remains static.
- Study Shows AI’s Economic Value: A March study in JACR tackled arguments against AI’s economic value, demonstrating AI’s ability to both improve radiologist efficiency and also drive new revenues for imaging facilities.
- Radiology’s Private-Practice Squeeze: It’s no secret that U.S. radiology’s traditional private-practice model has been slowly fading away, but a study published in AJR in June illustrated the magnitude of the shift. The number of radiologist-affiliated and radiologist-only practices has dropped, even as the total number of U.S. radiologists has gone up.
- Radiologist Pay Rebounds: Radiologist pay grew 5.6% and radiology moved up one notch in a May survey of highest-paid U.S. medical specialties for 2023. Physician salaries generally rebounded last year after a decline in 2022.
- FDA Keeps Pace on AI Approvals: The FDA in August updated its list of AI- and machine learning-enabled medical devices that have received regulatory authorization, showing the agency keeping a brisk pace of authorizations.
- Is Radiology’s AI Edge Fading? FDA figures from May hinted that radiology’s AI edge might be fading, at least when it comes to the specialty’s share of AI-enabled medical devices being granted regulatory authorization.
- Is Head CT Overused in the ED? A study in March suggested that head CT could be overused in the emergency department for patients presenting with conditions like headache and dizziness, as researchers found a big increase in CT angiography utilization.
- AI Speeds Up MRI Scans: Researchers in March found that AI-based data reconstruction sped up MRI scans and helped their hospital avoid buying a new scanner by improving throughput.
- 6 Solutions to the RT Shortage: A new report published in July from the ASRT and other groups confirmed the shortage of radiologic technologists is severe, but offers some solutions.
- MASAI Gets Even Better at ECR 2024: At ECR 2024, researchers in the MASAI study presented final data indicating that AI could have an even bigger impact on mammography screening than we thought.
The Takeaway
The Imaging Wire’s list of top 10 articles for 2024 shows that bread-and-butter issues like the radiologist shortage and physician reimbursement continue to be top of mind for our readers. The use of AI in radiology is a close second, and our readers can be assured that we will follow all of these issues closely in 2025.
