A “mass exodus” of radiologists from the VA’s medical center in Washington, DC, represents just the tip of the iceberg for the health system’s radiology personnel woes. Other VA centers are reported to have seen similar departures, and the VA’s teleradiology program appears to be buckling under the strain.
News about radiologist staffing problems in the VA came to light in July with the publication of news articles claiming that the Trump administration’s 2025 ban on remote work for federal employees had prompted most radiologists at the VA Washington DC Medical Center to quit.
- While the ban was later rescinded for radiologists, the edict reportedly “spooked” many radiologists who were already chafing under VA salaries that were far lower than what they could find in the private sector.
An investigation by the VA’s Office of Inspector General confirmed the Washington, DC, medical center’s problems, documenting the departure of four of the facility’s five full-time radiologists as well as its chief of radiology.
- But the question remained – how widespread are the VA’s radiologist staffing woes, and have the same problems occurred at other VA medical centers?
Indications are that it’s a growing problem. A VA employee who contacted The Imaging Wire reported that VA radiology departments around the U.S. “got decimated,” with some losing 50% of their radiologist staff.
- This includes VA medical centers in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio, and a number in Florida.
Interestingly, the source claims that the return-to-office edict has only been a “minor” contributor to the exodus, instead attributing the departures to a vicious cycle of lower salaries and higher workload.
- The VA’s salary cap of $400k simply isn’t competitive with private-sector radiology, where a recent compensation survey pegged average U.S. radiologist compensation at $610k – a 53% difference.
The shortage of in-person radiologists is prompting the VA to lean more heavily on its National Teleradiology Program, an operation headquartered in Menlo Park, California, that employs dozens of radiologists to interpret imaging studies overnight and on weekends.
- But NTP is facing a personnel exodus of its own, especially after NTP officials required daytime radiologists to pick up the slack by also working nights and every other weekend. The source estimated that, at its peak, NTP had about 120 radiologists. That number now stands at 62.
What impact are the departures having on VA patient care? The VA mandates a one-hour turnaround time (TAT) for STAT imaging exams.
- But the source claims that TAT has ballooned to as high as 10 hours. “Imagine not getting critical diagnoses for ER patients until 10-12 hours later!” the source said.
The Takeaway
The new revelations suggest that the problems reported at the VA Washington DC Medical Center are actually endemic throughout the VA system. And given the growing gap between VA and private radiologist salaries, they aren’t likely to recede anytime soon, regardless of the agency’s work-from-home policies.
