Radiologist attrition rates have jumped 50% since 2020, and new workforce projections suggest the shortage will only worsen as imaging demand continues to outpace supply. The report – from staffing firm Medicus Healthcare Solutions – projects a worsening supply of radiologists by 2037.
It’s no news to anyone that healthcare is being squeezed by rising volumes from an aging population and chronic staff shortages caused by a training system that simply isn’t turning out enough qualified medical professionals.
- In radiology, both radiologists and radiologic technologists are in short supply, and there have been only 29 diagnostic radiology PGY-1 training positions added since 2021.
The Medicus report mostly assembles data acquired from other sources such as a recent study in JACR on radiologist supply, but taken together the numbers paint a sobering picture …
- Imaging utilization is projected to grow 17-27% by 2055.
- Radiologist attrition rates have grown 50% since 2020.
- Radiologist distribution per 100k population is uneven across the U.S., ranging from 25 radiologists in Minnesota to 9 radiologists in some other states.
- Reimbursement is falling, with the Medicare conversion factor for 2025 dropping -2.83% for diagnostic radiology and -4.83% for interventional radiology.
What’s to be done? On the positive side, at least one new radiologist residency program started up this year, and legislation was recently introduced that would add 14k residency training slots over seven years.
- The report also recommends teleradiology as a possible solution, with 92% of radiologists in a recent survey saying their institution offered remote work options and 73% of radiologists participating in remote work.
Medicus also advised health systems to take several compensation-focused steps to attract and retain radiologists …
- Offer flexible, hybrid work schedules.
- Provide competitive compensation packages and signing bonuses.
- Improve vacation policies and time-off benefits.
The Takeaway
It’s hard to see short-term Band-Aids like better salary and benefits solving healthcare’s workforce shortage. And some are even questioning whether AI will really help make radiologists more efficient. In the end, systemic changes like a sharp expansion in residency training slots are what’s needed to effect a long-term solution to the staffing dilemma.
